Thank you to the priests from Mt. St. Francis Hermitage in Endicott, NY who assist our Churches by celebrating Masses with us each weekend! God bless you!

The Church ramp work began this week. The ramp may not be accessible for the October 10 and 11 Masses, but should be accessible again on October 17 and 18 . Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Saturday Masses begin again at St. Bartholomew’s Church on October 3rd at 4 PM. All are welcome!

May 25, 2026 Letter from the Diocese

February 25, 2026 Letter from the Diocese

Please keep in your prayers this month those listed below who have died this past year at St. Bartholomew. They will be remembered in a special candle-lighting Mass today, Sunday, November 1st at 8:30 am. We remember: Florentine H. Turtleboom, Anna Bernardi Turner, Carol A. Wagner, Sally A. Raffaele Margaret M. Herzog, Marjorie A. Angelino Patricia A. VanHoover, Audrey Caughey and Thomas J. Natoli

Prayer for Departed Loved Ones God our Father, Your power brings us to birth, Your providence guides our lives, and by Your command, we return to dust. Lord, those who die still live in Your presence, their lives change but do not end. We pray in hope for our families, relatives and friends, and for all the dead known to You alone. In company with Christ, Who died and now lives, may they rejoice in Your kingdom, where all our tears are wiped away. Unite us together again in one family, to sing Your praise forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer for the Dead, Explained! It may seem strange to pray for someone who is already dead and who, according to our earthly reckoning of time, has already undergone judgment. But God is not subject to the constrictions of time as we understand them. Our prayers for the dead are, like our prayers for the living, an expression of charity and the unity that exists between all members of the Body of Christ. Prayer for the dead is a practice which not only predates Catholicism but predates Jesus Christ, as we see in the Second Book of Maccabees (2 Maccabees 12:42-45). “By virtue of the ‘communion of saints,’ the Church commends the dead to God’s mercy and offers her prayers, especially the holy sacrifice of the Eucharist, on their behalf,” says the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1055). The most common Catholic prayer for the dead is as follows: “Eternal rest grant unto them, o Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace.” ©LPi

Daylight Savings Time Ends: Turn your clocks back an hour on Saturday night, October 31st!

Thank you to the priests from Mt. St. Francis Hermitage in Endicott, NY who assist our Churches by celebrating Masses with us each weekend! God bless you!

“Thank you to all the volunteers for the long hours and hard work in making our Spaghetti Supper a huge success! We made over 1,100 meatballs, 40 gallons of sauce and served over 300 people! The net profit will be used for the maintenance of the sign in front of the Church. St. Bartholomew’s has been serving spaghetti to our community members since 1930. The annual Spaghetti Supper became a tradition that many look forward to since 1952. Without the many volunteers and sponsors it could not be the huge success that it was this year. Thank you all.” Anthony Testani

Starting the Monday, November 2nd, this is the new daily Mass schedule:
Monday - St. Bartholomew - 9 AM
Tuesday - St. Malachy - 9 AM
Wednesday - St. Theresa - 9 AM
Friday - St. Paul - 9 AM

PLEASE NOTE: Until further notice, there will be NO THURSDAY MASS

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time: "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone." Mt 21:42ab

Saturday Masses begin again at St. Bartholomew’s Church on October 3rd at 4 PM. All are welcome!

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament continues at St. Paul’s Chapel from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Please stop in to spend as long as you would like with our Lord. Talk with Him, express your concerns and listen to Him for answers.

GOSPEL MEDITATION October 25, 2026 Matthew 22:34-40 Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
When I was in seventh grade, like most boys of that age, I was constantly hungry. I could eat at any hour of the day. Then I fell head over heels for a classmate named Kristin. One evening, while lying on my bed and pondering her perfections, my mom called me to dinner. For the first time in my adolescent life, I remember thinking: “I’m not hungry.” My heart longed for Kristin more than my stomach for food. Now, I wouldn’t confuse adolescent infatuation with mature love. But it was an experience of how love can reorder everything in our lives.

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus says, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart” (Matthew 22:37). He is not issuing a burden or a moral goal for high achievers. He is naming the deepest orientation of the human heart. We were made for love so great that it gathers every other love into itself. Jesus does not ask us to love less the persons or things that attract us. Rather, he wants our love for God to be so total and intense that we love everything and everyone else because we love him so much.

Do we believe that such a love is possible for us? Because of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, it is! It is readily available to us. Let’s repent of our half-hearted love for God and ask Him to fill our hearts to the brim with divine love. — Father John Muir ©LPi

Opportunities for confession:
St. Malachy’s: Saturday afternoon 3:10—3:40 PM & Tuesdays, 6—7 PM (with Adoration)
St. Theresa’s: After these Masses: Sundays at 11 AM; Mondays at 5:30 PM & Wednesdays at 9 AM
St. Bartholomew’s: Saturday 3:15—3:45 PM (Oct—Mar) & when requested
St. Paul’s: Saturday 3:15—3:45 PM (Apr—Sept) Sunday, 10:40 AM

The Norwich Community Soup Kitchen will be opening Tuesday September 15, 2026. Our doors open at 4pm and dinner is served at 5pm.

The Knights of Columbus would like you to join them in reciting the Rosary and The Chapel of Divine Mercy at St. Paul’s Church on the first Wednesday of every month from 6—7 pm. Let’s pray for healing for our friends, family and the world.

 

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Upcoming Events:

Please Note, Tuesday Mass is now at 9:00 AM

The parish council will meet on Wednesday, September 9th at 5 pm. All registered parish- ioners are invited and encouraged to attend.

Visit our Event Calendar

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