Welcome Archbishop-Designate Leonard Blair

Bishop Leonard P. Blair is Appointed New Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Hartford.

HARTFORD, Conn. – (October 29, 2013) His Holiness Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Leonard Paul Blair, STD as the fifth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Hartford. The announcement was made today, Tuesday, October 29th at 12:00 noon, Vatican City Time (7 a.m. EDT).

Bishop Blair will be officially introduced as the new archbishop during a press conference at the Archdiocesan Center at Saint Thomas Seminary, 467 Bloomfield Ave., Bloomfield, this morning, Tuesday, October 29th, at 10 a.m. The press conference will be streamed on the archdiocesan website at: archdioceseofhartford.org and ortv.org. It will be broadcast live on WJMJ-FM Radio (88.9/Hartford, 93.1/Hamden, 107.1/New Haven).

Bishop Blair, 64, has been the bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Toledo since 2003. He was ordained a priest in 1976. He succeeds Archbishop Henry J. Mansell, who has been the Archbishop of Hartford since December 2003, and who has passed the age of retirement.

Bishop Blair will be installed as the Archbishop of Hartford on Monday, December 16th at a ceremony at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph, 140 Farmington Ave., Hartford.

http://archdioceseofhartford.org/news/13-10-29_archbishop.htm

Weekly Bible Study - 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

27 October 2013
30th Sunday in Ordinary Time


Many of us can easily identify with the athletic imagery in today’s second reading. Life often seems like a competition, a frenzied race to the finish line. Trying to keep the faith, we sprint ahead toward our eternal destination.

And along the way we encounter many who disappoint us, some who abandon us in our need and others who lead us down the wrong path.  Human nature has not changed much since the first century!

Whether this letter is written by Paul or, as many Bible scholars suspect, one of Paul’s close disciples, the letter reflects back upon Paul’s life, lived to the fullest, and colored by his martyrdom in Rome. Second Timothy expresses a central reality: The Lord stands by us and gives us strength. Echoing the words of the psalmist, 2 Timothy reminds us not to rely on “princes” or any human being “in whom there is no power to save.” (Psalm 146:3)

That is not to say that we shouldn’t derive much support in life from our family, friends and faith community. We do need one another! But our true support and strength is the Lord who stands by us. Our community is there to be the face of God for us, so that we will remain confident in the Lord in the midst of trials.

For unlike frail human beings, God does not fail, disappoint or lead us astray.

And whether we choose to sprint or to walk to our finish line, the Lord journeys with us at all times.

Take some moments throughout this week to reflect on the many ways the Lord has been there for us, taking us by the hand, gently carrying us along our journey, uplifting us in faith.  And offer a prayer of praise and thanksgiving to the One who stands by us and gives us strength.

The author, Ms. Barbara Gawle, leads Bible studies at her parish, Incarnation Church of Wethersfield, CT. She is a CBS graduate and the 2012 recipient of the Biblical School's highest award, The Lawrence Boadt Memorial Medal.

Pray For Us Sinners

CBS alumni will be on retreat this weekend, October 25-27. Please remember us in your prayers. Remember too Dr. Janet Weber, RSCJ, our retreat director, and Fr. Christopher Tiano, our celebrant for Sunday liturgy.

We will be praying also for you, and especially that the Holy Spirit will inspire an ever-deepening desire and commitment to Seek the Face of God in our Archdiocese and the world.

It is our fervent hope that everything we undertake in the Catholic Biblical School has this intention at its foundation.

Weekly Bible Study

20 October 2013
29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Exodus 17:8-13; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2; Luke 18:1-8

A story is told of a man who began praying in church and was heard mumbling. The mumbling became increasingly louder, ending in shouts and cries. Bothered by the noise, a nearby woman remarked: “If you lived closer to God, my friend, you wouldn’t have to yell so loudly."

Living closer to God sometimes requires less volume and more quiet persistence. Moses is persistent in prayer when he raises his arms in confidence. His companions, Aaron and Hur, persist with him. We see it also in the instruction to Timothy to be persistent in proclaiming God's word, whether convenient or not. And like the widow of today’s gospel, who of us has not banged repeatedly on the door of God’s heart to make our needs known?

We are often persistent in prayer, like the widow, when our need feels great. But might there be more to persistence than an occasional volley of words?

In today’s gospel, Luke offers us a clue to the “more” of persistence when Jesus instructs his disciples to “pray always.” Does Jesus want his followers to mumble “Hail Marys” and “Glory Bes” every moment of every day? Probably not.

Jesus’ instruction to pray always suggests that persistence in prayer is more a matter of attitude than of action. It is more a matter of living closer to God so we don't have to shout so loud.

We pray always when we keep God close in mind and heart no matter how busy we are or how distant God may seem. We pray always when we are attuned to God’s presence around us in the  midst of our daily activities. We pray always when we bring our faith to every nook and cranny of our Christian life.

If we cultivate an attitude of true persistence we will not have to bang on God’s door to get God’s attention. If we live closer to God, we are aware of God's constant presence, listening always, and so when we do want to pray with words we approach with confidence. Anytime.

And by our attitude as much as by our words we answer Jesus' question in today's gospel, "Will there be faith?" with a resounding, “Yes, there will be faith!”

The author, Ms. Barbara Gawle, leads Bible studies at her parish, Incarnation Church of Wethersfield, CT. She is a CBS graduate and the 2012 recipient of the Biblical School's highest award, The Lawrence Boadt Memorial Medal.

Editor: BJ Daly Horell

Weekly Bible Study - Luke 17:11-19 and 2 Kings 5:14-17

15 October 2013
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Catechetical Sunday

Could the man of the Gospel be any more of an outcast? As a leper he would have been shunned by society. As a Samaritan he would have been unwelcome anywhere Jews were living. But that man, the one who “realizes he has been healed,” is the one who returns to give thanks. He is the foreigner. Presumably Jesus’ own Jewish neighbors didn’t even bother.

Is this a story about mere physical healing? No. Jesus’ unprecedented acceptance of the foreigner does more for the foreigner than simply heal his skin. Jesus gives the man a renewed sense of worth and dignity that may be even more valuable to him than the disappearance of his pockmarks. He has been made whole in body and spirit. Gratitude is his response.

Similarly, in 2 Kings, Naaman, the foreigner, realizes that his healing has come not from the hands of Elisha the prophet, but from Elisha’s God, Yahweh. Naaman’s immediate response is one of gratitude as he collects soil from Israel. According to ancient custom, gods were worshiped on their own "turf," the land claimed for their own worshipers. So when he vowed to worship only the LORD, Naaman thought he needed to bring some of the soil of Yahweh's land with him when he returned home.

In light of these readings we may want to ponder our own interior disposition: our response of gratitude and our attitude toward the outcast.

Is gratitude instinctive to us in our daily lives, as much a part of our prayer as our litany of needs? Do Do we return regularly to God to give thanks? Do we even recognize that our own healing and wholeness come from God?

And what about the outcast? Who is the foreigner among us? Whom do we label as outcast? Do we need to examine our own attitudes toward the stranger among us?

And is God a stranger in our families? Do we welcome into our hearts and homes those whom the world sees as “least,” including the strange, the lonely and the neglected--in whom Christ taught us to see himself?

Lord Jesus, remind us to welcome with open hospitality each person we meet each day, even when it might be uncomfortable for us to do so.

Reminder: Weather-related Cancellation Policies

"That time of year thou mayst in [school] behold, when yellow leaves or none or few do hang upon
the boughs which shake against the cold, bare ruined choirs where late the sweet birds sang." --William Shakespeare, Sonnet 73 (slightly adapted!)

Yes, it's time to think about the occasional necessity for the Biblical School to cancel classes. Here's a reminder about how we "roll" when the weather turns nasty!

The communications system for the Biblical School is online. If you cannot access the internet, a weather cancellation notice will also be recorded on the ORE phone system (860) 243-9465.


To access cancellation notifications online, click on the following URL link: http://www.stsregistrar.org/cgi-bin/CBS/cbsstudentlogin.pl

Please avoid losing this URL! Do whatever you need to do--bookmark the URL in your web browser, program it into your cell phone, or write it down somewhere you will always be able to find it.

DON'T WAIT to teach yourself how to log in! If snow is falling, it's too late to troubleshoot any problems that might come up with your password!

When you click on the link (or cut and paste the URL) into your web browser, here's what you should see on your computer screen:

To log in, enter your password into the field below the blue "Please Login" notice, and click on the "Login" button. The passwords ARE case sensitive.

Your password was automatically generated for you when you enrolled in the Biblical School. All student passwords follow the same format: UPPER CASE initials (two or three letters, depending on whether you gave us a middle initial) followed by your eight-digit date of birth. So if you’re Mr. Donald E. Duck, born March 13, 1914, your password would be: DED03131914. Or if no middle initial was provided in your application, the password would be: DD03131914.

After you have logged in to the website, you will see several options. Click on the "Notifications" button to see any notice from the CBS Office.

If, after several attempts, you cannot log in to the program, please call BJ Daly Horell or Jennifer McClintock in the Office of Religious Education and Evangelization at (860-243-9465).

Special Notes:
*Instructors: Your access URL is different from the student login page, and your password has a different format. So if you have trouble accessing the website, call Jennifer in the ORE.

 *Graduates/alumni: Your access URL and password format is the same as the student login page, but if you haven't taken a course in recent years, you may not be in the system. You will need to contact Jill and provide her with information that will enable her to add you to the system.

A Parable of Christ's Kingdom for Today

The Kingdom of God is like getting a pair of glasses for the first time.

Something feels "off" in your life, but you think, "That's just the way everybody is." Gradually, though, you begin to realize that some people are seeing things differently than you are. They talk about things you can’t see. They understand details that you don’t. They know things just beyond your sight. You go to the optician’s office and the doctor checks the health of your eyes. She informs you that you aren’t seeing as well as you could because you need glasses. Then, you get your new glasses and try them on. Suddenly all the world is changed and made new. You marvel because you can see clearly. You see what others were talking about. And you can walk confidently in this new world not because you are led by others, but because you can see for yourself. You would never again want to go back to seeing the world without your glasses.

"Inside" the parable:
A life of sin blinds us to the Kingdom of God in our midst. We follow our own ways not out of personal perversity, but because we don’t see the world rightly. Through the preaching and the witness of others we begin to believe that there is something more to life. Some of us come to desire that "something more."

The optician’s office is the faith community. The doctor and staff are your teachers and the one who baptizes you into the Body of Christ. Your new glasses are the Holy Spirit, who never leaves you. It is the Holy Spirit who gives you eyes of faith and who enables you to see that the Kingdom of God is present all around you. As you begin to see with the eyes of faith, you never want to go back to living blind in sin.

That is why the Kingdom of God can be likened to getting glasses for the first time.

Submitted by Sr. Maria Louise Edwards, CSSF, CBS second year student

Happy Birthday, Archbishop Mansell!

Today the Catholic Biblical School extends our best wishes for a joyous birthday.

And every day, we thank you, Archbishop Henry J. Mansell, for your strong and gracious leadership in the difficult times we face as Catholics, Americans, and global citizens. We pray to God for you and for your continued health.

In thanksgiving to God, our prayer is always filled with profound joy for you when we think of the strength you are for others and how God lives in you in such beauty and truth.

A Weekly Bible Study - Habakkuk 1:2-3 and 2:2-4

6 October 2013
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The minor prophets: Their messages were often short, but seldom sweet!

Today we meet Habakkuk (Ha-BAK-uk), one of the twelve minor prophets--"minor" in the sense that their writings are brief. 

The minor prophets may not be verbose, but their messages are no less compelling than Isaiah, Ezekiel or Jeremiah (the major prophets).

Recall, prophets were spokespersons for both God and humanity. While chastising national leadership for the disregard of justice, prophets appealed to the ear of God to listen to the cries of his people.

The prophets’ struggles were also internal, spiritual ones, shaping a heightened sensitivity to injustice and suffering. As they were not afraid to call their wayward leaders to task, they sometimes even questioned God’s divine judgment of the world. Habakkuk’s short book is this kind of challenge to the divine order.

The opening plea in today’s reading resonates within our own hearts: “How long, O Lord?  I cry for help, but you do not listen, you do not intervene.” Many times our persistent prayer seems to fall on God’s "deaf" ears.

That's how it seemed to Habakkuk, who lived in the years just before Israel's exile to Babylon. When he understood that God would use Babylon to chasten Israel, Habakkuk is appalled and asks, "WHY?"

But the Lord reassures the prophet that the discord, violence and strife must “press on to fulfillment” for purposes God wasn't sharing.

Habakkuk stands faithful in the midst of his confusion, and the Book of Habakkuk ends with a beautiful prayer of remembrance of God’s mercy. In spite of the impending doom about to befall Judah, Habakkuk can still rejoice in God’s goodness. And that certainly takes faith!

Habakkuk knows, deep down, that when all is completed, God will not disappoint us. But in the meantime, it's hard to wait.

Can waiting in itself be constructive or redeeming? Can our “waiting on the Lord” itself teach us something about our human limitations and our need to struggle sometimes. Can God use our waiting and our struggles to fashion us into God's new creation?

When we, like the ancient peoples, are asked to wait for God’s will to “press on to fulfillment,” let us stand firm with Habakkuk. By waiting in faith, we may even become God's own miracle.

The author, Ms. Barbara Gawle, leads Bible studies at her parish, Incarnation Church of Wethersfield, CT. She is a CBS graduate and the 2012 recipient of the Biblical School's highest award, The Lawrence Boadt Memorial Medal.

Editor: BJ Daly Horell

Attending HCBS from Brazil!

Apostles of the Sacred Heart show tech savvy!

Patty Augustyn arranged to attend her Year 2 class all the way from Sao Paolo this week! She arranged for one of her classmates, Sr. Lauren Zak, ASCJ, to use a laptop computer to transport Patty (via Skype) from her hotel room in Brazil right into Fr. Donahue's classroom at the Caritas Christi Center in Hamden last night. (Be warned! Excuses for missing class are getting slimmer by the minute, lol.)

CBS Retreat: Your Face I Seek, O God

A relaxing weekend spent with the Lord: After the rigors of beginning a new school year, doesn't that sound heavenly?


We still have one or two slots available for CBS graduates or guests.

If you forgot to send in your registration form by the deadline, October 1, please do so right away to secure your place in this extraordinary retreat in the glorious New England countryside.

October 25-27
Genesis Spiritual Life Center
Westfield, MA
Guide: Sr. Janet Weber, RCSJ
A charge of $237 covers all meals and a single room at the retreat center.

Sunday liturgy will be celebrated as a vigil mass on Saturday night, with Fr. Christopher Tiano presiding.

To get a registration form, click here: http://www.orehartford.org/joomla3/index.php/upcoming-events

For additional information, contact Jill Costa in the Office of Religious Education and Evangelization, 860-243-9465, ext. 2670.

Lector Workshop

Saturday, October 26, 2013, 9:00 am - 12:30 pm
St. Thomas Seminary, Bloomfield
Registration Deadline October 21, 2013
Fee: $15.00 Includes Coffee/Pastry

Fr. Baranowski will explain the role of the lector and give practical guides for more effective liturgical reading. This workshop will be of interest to individuals who proclaim the Scripture at liturgy on a regular basis and to individuals who train lectors.

Presenter: Rev. David Baranowski,
Director, Office for Divine Worship,
Pastor, St. James Church, Rocky Hill

Advance Registration Required