2021-2023 Synod Listening Session

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Pope Francis’s Invitation

Our Holy Father Pope Francis has invited the Catholic Church to embark on a journey together. Through listening and discernment rooted in the Holy Spirit, the entire people of God will be called to contribute to a process by which the Church deepens in understanding of Her mission and looks toward the future.

What is a Synod?

A Synod, which is the process by which the Church will begin this important work is not just a convening of Bishops reflecting on a particular topic and advising the Pope. A Synod is a journey of discernment, in which the people of God are called to pray and reflect upon the Holy Spirit’s will for the Church. Through our listening and our sharing, we will seek to understand what the Holy Spirit’s will is for the topic being discussed – and thus, for the Church.

Synod Listening Session

Pope Francis is asking all dioceses and parishes throughout the world to hold listening sessions to hear what the Holy Spirit is asking of the Church in the 21st century. All are invited to participate in a listening session to pray, listen, and discern where the Holy Spirit is leading the Church.

In the parish setting, parish staff, parishioners, youth, young adults, parents of children in the school or religious education program, and those missing — who may have left the parish during the pandemic or for other reasons should feel welcome to come. We encourage as many people as possible to participate!

The goal of the listening session is to gather together to share our experiences and ideas.

Our Deanery’s listening session will take place on:

Learn more about the synod here

Prayer for the Synod on Synodality

Every session of the Second Vatican Council began with the prayer Adsumus Sancte Spiritus, the first word of the Latin original meaning, “We stand before You, Holy Spirit,” which has been historically used at Councils, Synods and other Church gatherings for hundreds of years, being attributed to Saint Isidore of Seville (c. 560 - 4 April 636). As we are called to embrace this synodal path of the Synod 2021-2023, this prayer invites the Holy Spirit to operate within us so that we may be a community and a people of grace. For the Synod 2021-2023, we propose to use this simplified version, so that any group or liturgical assembly can pray more easily.

We stand before You, Holy Spirit, as we gather together in Your name.

With You alone to guide us, make Yourself at home in our hearts;

Teach us the way we must go and how we are to pursue it.

We are weak and sinful; do not let us promote disorder.

Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path nor partiality influence our actions.

Let us find in You our unity so that we may journey together to eternal life and not stray from the way of truth and what is right.

All this we ask of You, who are at work in every place and time, in the communion of the Father and the Son, forever and ever.

Amen.

Our Christmas Trees are Up!

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Our beautiful Christmas Trees are officially up!

Over the weekend, some wonderful parish volunteers assisted with carrying in and putting up the Christmas trees in the Church.

Many of the volunteers pictured have been assisting with the placement of our Christmas trees for years and we are so grateful for their help!

Make sure to come by one of our Christmas masses this upcoming weekend to see the trees all lit up as we prepare to celebrate the season. Click here for the schedule.

Want to offer a blessing over the Christmas tree in your own home this week? You can find a Christmas tree blessing here.

Thank you to this year’s volunteers, we couldn’t do it without you!

  • John Barbetta

  • Dan Bitecola

  • Bob Garrabrant

  • Jim Gasparini

  • Danielle Hunger Buhler

  • Joe Marshall

  • Jeff Monacelli

  • Anthony Nole

  • Frank O’Grady

  • Philip Oliveira

  • Guy Pilsbury

  • Anthony Raimondo

  • Joe Re

  • Mark Russillo

  • Chris Sabatelli

  • Tom Sciscione

Deacon Tom's Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

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How quietly God makes himself known to Elizabeth in today’s gospel. John the herald, unable as yet to speak, can only leap in His mother’s womb to announce that God has become human.

The holy spirit helps Elizabeth interpret her baby’s message as she asks: “but who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”

Contrast this scene with God’s arrival on Mt. Sinai at the conferring of the Ten Commandments. God comes down on the mountain in fire amid peals of thunder and lightning.

The whole mountain trembled violently, and the people were terrified. So sacred has the mountain now become that any animal or person who touches it must be stoned to death.

And yet this is the same God who is in Mary’s womb – touching her, drawing sustenance from her. This is the same God who comes down quietly upon our altar today.

Throughout our lives, it’s our responsibility to balance our response to God’s awesomeness and His intimacy with us.

For centuries the Church has helped us keep this balance -- at one time, emphasizing God’s majesty by placing the altar half a mile away, up to forty steps with a communion rail separating us from the sanctuary.

These barriers have been removed. With our altar in our midst, the Church is currently emphasizing God’s intimacy with us.

On Saturday, as we kneel before the helpless infant in the feeding trough, remember the awe! See His greatness in His leaving behind the majestic appearance of God to become a human being.

Today, as we receive him in our hands in Holy Communion, remember the awe! See His greatness in leaving behind even the appearance of a human being to become our food.

What insight we get into our own worth. We ask: “but who am I that the God, who once came in a fire with thunder and lightning, who am I that the God who violently shook mt. Sinai, but who am I that my Lord should come to me.”

Welcome to our new parish website!

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Hello STA Parishioners and friends,

We are thrilled to welcome you to our brand new parish website! We appreciate your patience as we continue to transition over some of the additional content from the previous website.

We hope you enjoy the resources available and find the site easy to navigate. If you have any questions about where to find something, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at communications@stachurchbloomfield.org.

A special thank you to Tom Rossano for his hard work and dedication to the parish’s communications for the past 14+ years! You can read his farewell letter in the June 2021 newsletter here.

Through this new website and other modern media tools, we hope to help our parish, and the Church spread the Gospel message.

Yours In Christ,

The Communications Committee