There’s a story about a man who prayed, “God speak to me”, and a bird sang a beautiful song.  But the man did not hear it.  So the man cried, “God speak to me!” and suddenly thunder rolled across the sky.  But the man paid no attention to it.  Instead the man looked around and said, “God let me see you”, and a star shone brightly over him.  But the man did not notice it.  The man then shouted, “God show me a miracle!” and at that very moment a life was born.  But the man did not know it.  Finally out of despair, the man cried, “Touch me God and let me know that you are here!”  And so God reached down and gently touched him.  But the man brushed the butterfly off his shoulder and walked on.

     In our Gospel, the crowd pleads to Jesus’ disciples, “We would like to see 

Jesus!”  We all want to see Jesus, we all want to feel and experience God’s 

presence.  The truth is, God is present at all times and in all places.  We can find God in the ordinary and the everyday, in all things and in all places, in our joys 

and in our sorrows.  We just need to look a little more closely.  God is present in 

the smile of a child, the unexpected act of kindness, the hug of a friend, the warmth and the smell of spring, the silence of our prayer- our Lord is always 

present to us, always in our midst.  Sometimes all it takes is a simple turn of our minds and hearts, and we will truly see Jesus.

God Loves You,

Fr. Dunn

Join us Sunday, March 21^st at 4 PM for a livestream discussion with Fr. Dunn and Fr. Ford (zoom in on our live discussion or join us on our Facebook page, instructions will follow and be given beforehand).  

The theme for the discussion is entering into Holy Week and rising to new life on Easter! 

 Come nourish your souls and strengthen your spirits during this holy and special time of the year.  I hope you will join us!  

Something that is very important to both Fr. Ford and I, is Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.  We both are deeply devoted to Jesus in the Eucharist.  Prayer, especially in front of the real presence of Our Lord, is what supports and blesses the work we do at St. Gregory.  Without regular and devout prayer in the presence of Our Lord, a Parish will truly suffer.  Therefore, we will offer Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for one hour (from immediately after the 8 AM Mass to 9:30 AM).  Going forward this will continue every Friday.  I encourage you to help bring blessings to both our Parish and your personal life by joining us for this Holy Hour. 

 Thank you ahead of time for your interest and prayers!

The theme for our Parish and school this year will be, “Jesus I trust in You!”  

These are the words found at the bottom of paintings of the Divine Mercy of Jesus.

     In thanksgiving to Jesus and asking for His and Mary’s continued blessings and 

protection this year, we’re adding two weekly devotions to our Parish Calendar.  First, we will recite the Chaplet of Divine Mercy every Friday at 3 PM with the Blessed Sacrament exposed. 

Second, we will pray the rosary every Monday at 9:30 AM, asking for our heavenly 

Mother’s intercession.   The children of our school will livestream and participate from our school (others may do so as well), and parishioners are encouraged and most welcome to attend.  I truly believe in the power of prayer and that these additions will bring many blessings to our Parish and School! 

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                                               Sunday Family Rosary

Join other families in the Diocese in saying the 

Rosary every Sunday at 7:30 pm. 

Visit www.formationreimagined.org and click on the praying hands. 

If you have any questions, please email Rosary@diobpt.org

Good Friday  and All Fridays in Lent are days of fast and abstinence

Stations of the Cross: Every Friday at 6 PM with the exception of Good Friday at 7 PM

Confessions:  Every Saturday from 3-3:45 PM (except Holy Saturday)

And Sunday’s in Lent 11-11:45 AM

Confessions will also be heard Monday March 29th from 3-9 PM at

St. Josephs in Brookfield, St. Peters in Danbury and St. Edwards in New Fairfield

Catechesis on St. Joseph: March 21st at 11 AM/ Tuesday March 23rd at 7 PM

Holy Thursday, Mass of the Lord’s Supper Thursday April 1st at 7:30 PM

Good Friday Service, Friday April 2nd at 3 PM

And Stations of the Cross, at 7 PM

Easter Vigil Mass, Saturday April 3rd at 8PM

Easter Sunday Masses, April 4th at 8 and 10 AM  and 12  PM

Bishop Caggiano will consecrate the Diocese of Bridgeport to the patronage of Saint Joseph at a Pontifical Mass at St. Augustine’s Cathedral in Bridgeport on Friday March 19th at 7:00pm.  We will also celebrate Mass in communion with our Bishop here at St. Gregory, on the same day and time. To prepare for the consecration, you are invited to participate in a special Novena to Saint Joseph. The Novena will begin on Wednesday, March 10th and end on March 18th, and will take place at 7:00pm every evening via Zoom.  

Thursday March 18^th at 7:00pm at St. Josephs Danbury Bishop Caggiano will be holding a Holy Hour for vocations. 

The Women of St. Gregory  

                               The Women of St. Gregory meet the 2nd 

Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. in the  Community Room. 

New members are always welcome!

Women’s Sewing  and Craft/Weaving  Group meet Monday at 12:00 p.m.  and 

Thursday at  7:00 p.m. in the Community room.

Questions, contact Isabel King 

 at 203 –512-7307 or

 Evelyn De Felice at 203-792-0824

This year’s study is

     John’s Gospel 

       “Touching the Divine”

In person and virtual sessions are being offered on Wednesdays in the morning and evening.

For more information, contact Suzanne 

scurra@diobpt.org or Rene 203-417-9865

Starting in October the Prayer Shawl  Ministry will meet every  first and third  Saturday of the month at 9:30. a.m. in the Parish  Community Room.  

Please join us with your yarn and needles. 

 Contact Stephanie Martin at 

stephaniemartin@outlook.com for additional information. 

                                               If You Have Not Registered

 Your Child for our Faith Formation 

Program, Please Call the Office at 203-797-0222

March

-  Sunday, March 21 @ 11:00am: Catechesis on St. Joseph 

Session 1

 - Tuesday, March 23 @ 7:00pm: Catechesis on St. Joseph 

Session 2 

                         Every Friday at 6:00pm: Stations of the Cross

Part Time Technology Teacher

Part Time Spanish Teacher

These are immediate openings. 

Resumes should be sent to Suzanne Curra at sgs.curra@sgtgs.org

Eucharistic Ministers and Lectors

please pickup your new schedules in the Sacristy after Mass.

McGivney Council #29 is the Knights of Columbus chapter for much of Danbury, including St. Gregory The Great parish. Men (18+) are welcome and encouraged to join. In addition to numerous other charitable efforts, our Council has a focus on supporting Catholic education, Youth programs,    and assisting the needy with our Coats for Kids and food donation programs.

Please visit our website at  www.KoC29.org  or our 

facebook page at  facebook.com/kofc29  for additional information.

Our Council can also be contacted via email at KofC29@gmail.com  or by voicemail at 203-744-9562

                                             Irene Anderson, Tommie DeSantis, Patti Skok, Robert 

Carolan, Linda Salvador, Robin Brundage, Jr., Vicki Denicola, Dave Sutton, Joe Vick, Isiah Matthew,  Arlene Kuderna, Valerie Geerer, Ellen Boyle, Kenneth Towery, Dr. John Famigletti, Barbara Janseen, Brigid Guertin, Mark Cefaloni, Susan Gallagher, John Muro, Carol Gershkowitz, Dr. Ephram Rebong, Doris Ryan, Sharon Tharas, Mary Ann Petronio and David and Darlene Collins

BIRTHRIGHT NEEDS VOLUNTEERS!                       

Birthright is an emergency pregnancy service offering free pregnancy           

                    tests, friendship counseling, and practical support.  Our guiding principle: It is the RIGHT  of every pregnant woman to give BIRTH and the RIGHT of every child to be BORN. Birthright has served in Connecticut since 1972 and helped thousands of mothers and babies. There are 8 Birthright locations in our state. Please call 1-800-550-4900 for the Birthright nearest you. Training is provided. Spanish speaking volunteers are especially needed. If you have  gently worn MATERNITY or BABY CLOTHING please call to arrange a drop off! Thank you!!!

Politicians in Hartford are again considering assisted suicide legislation. The Public Health Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly is considering legalizing a form of suicide in our state commonly referred to as "aid-in-dying" or "physician-assisted suicide". The Committee has raised House Bill 6425 "An Act Concerning Aid in Dying for Terminally Ill Patients".

 Modern hospice care and the proper use of pain medications render suicide unnecessary, and we need to be mindful of the threat that a suicide mentality poses to vulnerable people and to people with disabilities.

 Many people believe that a physician is deeply involved in this process. This not true. The physician orders the mixture of medications, the patient must then consume the deadly cocktail of drugs without assistance. Many times without even a physician or nurse present.

 We should never allow legislators to establish suicide as a solution to medical issues. Don’t let the state persuade us that it’s dignified for an ill person to sign their own execution order. Don’t let the state create an environment where ill people will feel they have a “responsibility to die”. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Catholic teaching condemns physician-assisted suicide because it, like murder, involves taking an innocent human life:

 Suicide is always as morally objectionable as murder. The Church's tradition has always rejected it as a gravely evil choice: To concur with the intention of another person to commit suicide and to help in carrying it out through so-called "assisted suicide" means to cooperate in, and at times to be the actual perpetrator of, an injustice which can never be excused, even if it is requested. Saint Augustine writes that "it is never licit to kill another: even if he should wish it.” True "compassion" leads to sharing another's pain; it does not kill the person whose suffering we cannot bear. (John Paul II, The Gospel of Life, no. 66).

 Go to the website below, read more on the issue and then sign the petition to stop the legalization of assisted suicide in Connecticut.

I am immensely grateful for your support last year to the Diocese of Bridgeport’s 2020 Annual Catholic Appeal.  What a challenging year it was and thanks to the generosity of so many we were able to serve thousands of Fairfield County individuals and families through our ministries and programs. Catholic Charities alone served over 1.2 million meals since the pandemic began.

This week you will receive information by mail about our 2021, Arise 

Annual Catholic Appeal and how your support assists the ministries and programs our parishes cannot provide to the community on their own.  We cannot do it without you and I am immensely grateful for your support of works of Faith and Ministry; Education and Catechesis; and Charity and Pastoral Services the Appeal provides to all people in the Diocese of Bridgeport. 

To donate and get further details on the  Appeal go to 2021ACA Bridgeport.com  

March 7, 2021

$5,503.25