Cancelled: A Festival of Lessons and Carols

St. Mark's is experiencing difficulties with church maintenance that have, sadly, required the cancellation of their annual Festival of Lessons and Carols.

Proverb for Today

"Multitasking is the enemy of mindfulness."

(Remember to submit to BJ your favorite proverbs for publication any time!)

With Thanksgiving to God

The prayer that I say (sing, actually) every single day for the Hartford Catholic Biblical School—for students, faculty and administration, colleagues in other Biblical Schools and at Paulist Press, and Archbishop Mansell himself—is a prayer of thanksgiving in song, recorded by the Monks of the Weston Priory in their album, "Go Up to the Mountain." (Click on the link to order the song from their website.)

On this Thanksgiving Day, I wish to share this prayer with you, my friends:

With thanksgiving to God our prayer is
Always filled with profound joy for you
When we think of the strength you are for others
And letting God live in you with such beauty and truth.

May your faith become strong in God's Word,
Certain land having been planted in you:
Thirst for wisdom and sensing Spirit's presence,
A life within, deep instilled, will inspire others' joy.

May God's Spirit of Peace be with you,
Living sign of the love that you share;
May your homes be filled with goodness and caring,
A place where there's no difference between stranger and friend.

May God's Presence be what you offer
As you welcome each other this day;
Simple kindness the bread of our lives,
A word of peace, a gentle mood, is God's gift to be shared.

Amen my friends, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Advent Prophets—An Exploration into God's Word

The prophetic literature contains some of the most spiritually rewarding material in the Old Testament. At the same time, the prophets pose a number of unique challenges to those who read them and encounter them in the liturgy. In this lecture, Dr. Harry Nasuti, Professor of Old Testament at Fordham University, will explore some ways of experiencing the power and beauty of these important texts. The lecture will pay particular attention to the prophetic readings that play such a significant role in our liturgies during the Advent season.

Time: December 11, 2011, 1:00-3:00 p.m. (“Coffee and” at 12:30)
Place: The Archdiocesan Center at St. Thomas Seminary
RSVP to Jill Costa by Fax or Email: 860-243-9690 or jcosta@adh-ore.org

Biblical School graduates, their guests, and other parish and archdiocesan leaders are invited to attend an afternoon designed for ongoing growth in understanding God’s Word. There is no fee for this program. It is essential, though, that all participants register with the Office of Religious Education by Friday, December 2, 2011.

Inka Peczerski, 1931-2011

J. Inka Peczerski 1931-2011

Our dear friend Inka, a 2011 graduate of the Catholic Biblical School, has been called to new life in Jesus this week. We celebrate the dynamic spirit she brought to everything she did and we mourn our own loss. We keep Inka and her children and grandchildren in our prayers. We will miss you, Inka!

Here are some thoughts from two of her classmates:

I was shocked to read this.... Last year when Inka and I visited with dying former classmate, Pauline Goulet who passed away on Oct. 30, 2010 from pancreatic cancer, I wonder if Inka knew of her own condition? (Nancy Stimac, Class of 2011)

This is very sad.  (Maureen Brouillard, Class of 2011)

Obituary Notice:

J. Inka (Hoffmann) Peczerski, 80 of Hartford, beloved widow of Roman J. Peczerski, died peacefully after waging a courageous battle with Pancreatic Cancer, Wednesday, (November 16, 2011) at her home. She was born in Lodz, Poland and had lived in Hartford since 1961. Mom was a lifelong learner and after raising her children she got her undergraduate degree in German from Central Connecticut State University and then a Masters in Library Science from Southern State College. She just finished a four year program in Bible Studies. She worked most of her career with Monsanto. She loved to travel and spend summers at her summer home on the coast of Maine. She was a flower enthusiast and a member of the CT Rose and Dahlia Society. She is survived by her son, Thomas Peczerski and his wife, Anna of Cottage Grove, WI and two grandchildren, Patrick and Natalia; her daughter, Teresa Baldwin and her husband, Kevin of Hebron and three grandchildren, Matthew Baldwin and his wife Tracy, Marc Baldwin and his wife Amanda, Peter Baldwin and his wife Mary Kathryn; great grandchildren, Mial, Sebastian, and Kayla Baldwin; her brother Harry Hoffmann and his wife Charlotte of Toronto, Canada and their daughter, Karen.

The funeral was held on Monday, November 21 at 10:30 a.m. with a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Lawrence O'Toole Church, 494 New Britain Ave. Hartford. Burial will be private. There will be no visiting hours.... To share a memory with the family, please visit www.dillonbaxter.com.

CBS Recommends—Advent Weekend Retreat

"Of Angels, Magi, Shepherds and Kings"

The Infancy Narratives in Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2

Saturday & Sunday

December 3, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. & December 4, 1:00-3:00 p.m.

The Christmas creche is the most familiar visual icon of the Christmas story. Its origins can be traced to the tableau that Francis of Assisi arranged at Greccio in 1223. For centuries it has remained the main vehicle for conveying the Christmas story to believers and unbelievers alike: Angels announce the birth of God’s son from on high, while Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus are visited in a stable by shepherds at the bidding of an angel and by Magi at the leading of a star. Ironically, the creche scene mixes details from the two Gospel accounts (those of Matthew and Luke) into a single scene, which makes it difficult for modern audiences to hear the distinct message of each evangelist regarding the significance of Jesus’ birth. The two Gospel stories have different characters, different themes, and different theological and spiritual perspectives. During this weekend workshop, we will read and discuss the two Gospel stories separately to highlight the distinct contour and message of each, and look at how some of the main characters and themes from these stories were developed in later Christian centuries.

Presenter: Paul Sansone studied Scripture at the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. and has been involved in adult faith formation for many years.

       
Suggested Offering:  $20.00; includes lunch on Saturday
REGISTRATION DEADLINE:  November 29, 2011
To register, please call St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church at 860-756-4034

Do not contact the Catholic Biblical School office. This event is not sponsored by the Catholic Biblical School but is an authorized make-up for certain requirements towards archdiocesan certificates in biblical studies.

Urgent Notice for ALL CBS Students

All CBS classes have been cancelled for the week of October 31-November 4, 2011.

Several Catholic Biblical School campuses, including the St. Thomas Seminary home campus, are without power, and downed power lines continue to make travel unsafe for most Connecticut residents.

"Snow relays" for all CBS classes have been activated, but bear in mind that many telephones (including the CBS office phone) are not in service. Students and grads should make every reasonable effort to contact their small-group members. If a phone number is out of service, please skip ahead on the phone tree, calling the next person on the list--but please also continue, at intervals, to try to contact the individual you've skipped.

In preparation for classes next week (November 7-11, 2011), all students need to prepare Lessons 1.8 and 1.9 in their student workbooks, and should bring both these homework assignments with them to class next week.

Faculty members have agreed to cover both the missed lesson (1.9) and conduct a review of the Unit material next week. Unit "memory exercises" will take place as previously scheduled, November 14-18, 2011.

As indicated on the CBS calendar (online at http://www.orehartford.org/), no classes are scheduled during the Thanksgiving holiday week, with the exception of the Year 2 class on Monday, November 21, at Epiphany Parish in Cheshire. Classes will then resume November 28, 2011. (God willing.)

St. Thomas Seminary                        Archdiocese of Hartford

Certificate in Biblical Studies           Catholic Biblical School