Please consider including St. Mary's in your will and estate planning. Our legal name is: St. Mary's Church Corporation of Simsbury. Contact Father Stephen for more information.

Fr. Dennis Vincenzo is a priest of the Archdiocese of Hartford for more than 30 years. He grew up in the South End of Hartford, attending St. Augustine Parish and School, and St. Thomas Seminary High School. Father Dennis received his bachelor’s degree from Trinity College in Hartford where he met and became good friends with Fr. Stephen, and continued on to St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore for his theological studies.  Click the title to read more.

After discussion with our Liturgy Committee and staff, we would like to start a new tradition for our children at Mass here at St. Mary’s. Beginning at the Parish Thanksgiving Mass this coming Tuesday evening, and continuing every Sunday at every Mass, we will provide an opportunity for the children of our parish to make an offering of a non-perishable food item which will go to one of the local food pantries we regularly support (Simsbury Food Closet and Hartford Food Pantries). Click the title to read more.

Thank you to everyone who filled a box or donated the cost of shipping. Without your help we could not have had such a successful Box of Joy

All children in grades 2-6 are invited to sign in the Children's Christmas Choir. Rehearsals are every Thursday evening, from 6-7 PM in the church. New members are welcome! Children will be singing at our 4:00 PM Christmas Eve Mass! Contact Amyjean Silling at thesillings@gmail.com for more information, schedule, and to REGISTER! Parents are asked to remain during rehearsals.

“What can we do to pray for a loved one, living or deceased, or how can we do something to honor or memorialize them?” This is a common question, especially after the death of a loved one.   To have a Mass or several Masses offered for a person who is deceased is an ancient and commendable practice.  A Mass is offered to pray for a person that he/she may be at peace in heaven.  Since each Mass is of infinite value, requesting one or several Masses is of tremendous benefit for the person prayed for as well as for the family, knowing that their intention is joined with the prayer of the Church. Click the title to read more.

KC Council 2758 is offering post secondary education scholarships. These scholarships are intended for students and families who have demonstrated an active commitment to the Church. Students can obtain an application form and a list of criteria for the scholarship at the St. Mary’s office. The applications are due June 30th, 2022.

We have begun the process of searching for a new Youth Minister. A group of parents and teens have been meeting to brainstorm ideas on how we can shape our youth ministry program going forward. This group will assist Father Stephen in putting together a job description that will be used to search for candidates.

One of the reasons Catholics often cite for not going to confession is that it’s been so long since they last went, they’ve forgotten what to do. If this is what is keeping you from experiencing this beautiful sacrament perhaps a review of how to celebrate this sacrament might make it more approachable. First, don’t worry or be embarrassed if it has been a long time since last celebrating Reconciliation. All that matters is that you are seeking out the sacrament now. If you let the priest know it’s been a while and you are a little “rusty” he can help you with the process. Take a few minutes before confession to examine your conscience. You may use the 10 Commandments or even the Two Great Commandments (Love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself) to help you review your recent past. There are also Examinations of Conscience online or on the MyParishApp or the Confession App which can help you recall your sins.

Following the movement of the Church’s penitential practice from a more public ritual to a more private experience during the 6th -8th centuries, the theology of the Sacrament of Reconciliation continued to develop. Penitential books were composed with lists of sins and corresponding penances to be given. The practice of waiting to receive absolution until one had completed the prescribed penance gave way to receiving absolution immediately after confession and completing the penance later. St. Thomas Aquinas in the 12th Century, further defined the understanding of the sacrament by declaring that the works of the penitent (the one confessing sin) and the priest including the confession, contrition and imposition of a penance formed the “matter” of the sacrament while the words of absolution spoken by the priest was the “form” of the sacrament. The practice of confessing sins behind a screen to ensure the anonymity of the penitent came into use. Click the title to read more.

A major event in our early Church’s experience contributed to a number of changes and developments that would forever shape Church history in the West. Up until the 4th century, the practice of the Christian faith was outlawed by the Roman Empire. While many emperors were somewhat indifferent to Christianity, several would initiate fierce persecutions of Christians including men like Nero and Diocletian. With Constantine becoming Emperor around the beginning of the 4th Century, things change radically. In 313, following a vision Constantine experienced prior to a major military battle encouraging him to conquer under the signs of the cross and Christ, leading to a subsequent victory, Constantine issued his famous Edict of Milan declaring that Christianity would be accepted in the Roman Empire. Click the title to read more.

This weekend I am beginning a series on the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession). The history of the development of this Sacrament is rooted in ministry of Christ himself. Often in the Gospels, Jesus forgives the sins of public sinners (e.g. the woman caught in adultery or the woman at the well in John’s gospel) or of those who were infirm in some way (as sin was widely believed at the time to cause illness.) The religious leaders of his time often questioned him on this point, claiming that Jesus was committing blasphemy, as God alone can forgive sins. (Little did they know that Jesus WAS God!) Jesus’ response was to prove he had such authority by effecting miraculous cures. When Jesus appears to his disciples in the upper room following the resurrection, he gives this same authority to the apostles, and by extension to the Church: “whose sins you forgive are forgiven, and whose sins you retain are retained” (Jn. 20:23). Click the title to read more.

The beginning of Lent, our annual pilgrimage of 40 days of prayer, fasting and almsgiving in preparation for the celebration of Our Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection, begins this week. But we may have questions about how Lent came about as a season of repentance. So this week I’d like to share a little about the origins and meaning of Lent historically. Click the title to read more.