Monday Message, June 2, 2025

Patrick Donovan

KNOW

Our friends in communication invite you to share your memories of Pope Francis and your thoughts on Pope Leo XIV. You can access the Google Form here.

Notes from our Evangelization Summit on May 1st will be distributed to all pastors this week. You can see them here.

Our friends at St. Aloysius would love to host all youth ministry leaders on June 25th. Msgr. Rob Kinnally will kick the night off with our own Holy Half Hour in the Chapel of St. Aloysius, and then we will head over to our Holy Spirit Garden for a BBQ. St. A’s will provide the grilled entree—we ask everyone else to bring something! Please sign up to let us know you are coming and what you will bring!

Speaking of youth ministry, check out this great e-book about starting youth ministry in your parish.

Registration for Ongoing Excellence: Hispanic Catechist Formation Program is currently underway! This formation opportunity supports and enriches our Hispanic catechists through faith, community, and professional development. For more information or to register, please click here. Yes, this counts for ongoing formation for LEAD.

Are you interested in offering Magnifikid to your parish families? Check it out here. They offer two subscription periods: A 9-month school-year subscription runs from September through May, and the full-year subscription runs for 12 months and begins the second month after processing. If you want to participate, we are looking for pilot parishes (free for the first year). Email Carmela before June 20th.

The 2025-2026 Calendar of Events draft is ready for your review. It is a draft, though most of it is set in stone.

The following parishes did not request a Confirmation for 2025-2026 (as of May 21, 2025). Email Carlos if you have questions.

St. Mary, Norwalk
Basilica, Stamford
St. Thomas the Apostle, Norwalk
St. Anthony of Fairfield
Holy Name of Jesus, Stamford
Notre Dame of Easton
St. Maurice
St. Catherine of Siena, Trumbull
St. Thomas Aquinas, Fairfield
St. Patrick, Redding
Our Lady of Fatima, Bridgeport

Please note: Monday Message will go to every other week during June, July, and August.

OLD STUFF

Last week, the pastors received this list of Confirmation dates for 2025-2026. This is not the final list, as some parishes have still not made their request. Please do not share this list with parents searching for alternative dates. This is for your use only.

The third Eucharistic Procession is scheduled for next month. Please use this flyer to promote it, especially if your parish is involved.

If we were to expand Sunday Setup to include “packets” for families with young children, what would you like to see included? Email Carmela with your ideas before June 20th.

If you have catechists who wish to participate in formation for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, please have them register here. The grant does not cover attending formation outside the diocese.

We will begin an inventory of all parish faith formation programs this month. Instead of having you fill out a form, all parish leaders will be asked to schedule a Zoom meeting with a summer intern working in the Institute. We will give you all the questions in advance. Stay tuned.

Confirmation Retreats will be scheduled in partnership with the Seton Collaborative team. I hope to schedule three retreats (Norwalk/Stamford, Danbury, Fairfield) for next year. The maximum number of students is 200 each. The cost is $20. There are no buses. Once dates and locations are set, sign-ups will commence. Stay tuned. This does not mean that you cannot do your own—it’s just a means of helping connect your candidates with others as they prepare.

Now, about the Consent and Release forms. If you want to open registration and are not using LEAD, you can just move forward as you normally would with a simple enrollment form. If you use LEAD, the new form is included. If you wish to use LEAD, contact Carmela. Later in the summer, all pastors and faith formation leaders will receive a letter from the bishop asking that all families complete the new form before the start of classes in the fall. All families in parishes not using LEAD must fill out the diocesan form. Why? Because the new form asks questions about safe environments. We have to collect the data and respond to families that answer a certain way. It is not enough for you to ask the question; it has to be collected globally. Plus, we have to track responses. The form is in English and Spanish and can be done on the phone, online, etc. There will be no paper forms.

If you have any questions, feel free to email Patrick.

REFLECT

Two research studies about happiness show that people who plan vacations are happier than those who do not. The anticipation of going away, taking time off, and unplugging is enough to make you happy.

It’s when you get back that the wheels fall off the wagon (okay, that’s my commentary).

Where will you go this summer? What will you do? Make a plan and get happy.

LAUGH