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Welcome to Sacred Heart St. Francis de Sales ParishTwenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary TimeBackForwardPauseCaption
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Saturday Mass September 30, 2023
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eCatholic Live
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Live streamed Masses
Sacred Heart St. Francis de Sales intends to live stream the 4 pm Mass on Saturdays. At the time of the live stream click the play button to begin watching. You can watch previous broadcasts by clicking on the play button and selecting “previous broadcasts” and then click the date you want to view.
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From the Pastors DeskFrom the Pastor's Desk:
The Light of the World Retreat supplied me with ample material for faith sharing at our March Liturgy meeting.
It was a long and tiring weekend, but a good kind of tired. I was touched by so many of the presentations, which were delivered with warmth and deep feeling – and sometimes even tears -- by the Retreat leaders. Each one wove bits of humor and their own personal experiences in with the formatted presentations, making them feel personal and relatable.
Between sessions, we broke up into small groups for discussion, facilitated by one of the leaders. My group was made up of four women from SHSF and three from St. John’s. Someone asked if that had been done purposely, for balance between the two parishes. Our leader said it was not, that the names for each group were drawn randomly.
The Holy Spirit must have been the one drawing the names, because our group bonded instantly and our sharings were so open, honest, heartwarming and intimate that it allowed us to look deep within the person who was sharing and glimpse their very souls. I came away from those sessions in awe of the depth of faith and love for God that resides in the hearts and lives of every one of those women. I am hoping that my sharings had that same impact on them as well.
The closing session on Monday night was very moving. All the attendees gathered for one last presentation. A portable microphone was then passed from person to person, and we were each asked to say something about how the weekend had impacted us. It was obvious from everyone’s remarks that they had all been personally and profoundly touched by the experience.
When my turn came, I shared that over the past few years I have become a “news junky.” Local news and CNN have become part of the pattern of my life and I’ve spent way too much time watching and listening to all the tragic and horrific things that have turned our world so dark and ugly. I shared that, on Sunday evening, as the retreat was winding down, it occurred to me that I had not seen or heard any news for the entire weekend, and I had not missed it! The Light of the World Retreat was just that for me, because it reminded me that the Light can overpower the darkness – and Jesus is the Light of the World. We’ll be having another Light of the World Retreat in October. I highly recommend it.
God bless,
Margy Boulet, parishioner and guest columnist
Upcoming dates:- October 6 7:30 pm SHSF First Friday Benediction
- October 7 9:00 am St. John’s First Saturday Mass
- October 8 11:00 am at St John’s 50th ordination social for Fr. Hugh
- October 14 Lector Session - Josh Perry SHSF
- October 15 9:00 am at SHSF 50th ordination social for Fr. Hugh
- October 16 6:00 pm at SHSF First Communion Family meeting and dinner
- October 22 9:00 am at SHSF RCIA begins
- October 22 at St. John’s 1:00 pm Mary's Garden Program
- October 27 through 30 at St. John’s Light of the World Retreat
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Totus Tuus 2023
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New Mass Times and Confession Schedule
MASS TIMES (Begining Monday November 28th)
Sacred Heart St. Francis de Sales - Bennington:
Saturday 4:00 pm, Sunday 8:00 am
Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9:00 am
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, North Bennington:
Saturday 5:30 pm, Sunday 10:00 am
Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:00 am
First Saturdays 9:00 am
CONFESSION TIMES
(or by appointment)
Sacred Heart St. Francis de Sales, Bennington:
Saturdays at 3:00-3:30 pm
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, North Bennington:
Confessions follow the First Saturday 9 am Mass 9:30 - 10:15 am
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Office Hours
Sacred Heart St. Francis Office Hours
(802) 442-3141
Monday 8:30 am to Noon & 1:00 - 4:30 pm
Tuesday-Friday 8:30 am to Noon
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church’s Office Hours (802) 447-7504
Monday, Tuesday and Friday 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
News:
If you can't join us for the Search after the 8 am Mass - find it on Formed.org.
Registering for FORMED is easier than ever:- Go to formed.org/signup
- Select your parish by entering name, city and/or zip code
- Enter your name and email address
- Check that email account for a link to begin using FORMED.
- Search for "The Search"
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Celebrating 130 years of Catholic Education in Bennington
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FOUNDING OF OUR DIOCESE
On July 29, 1853, the Diocese of Burlington, Vermont, was formally created by papal brief under the leadership of the first bishop, Louis de Goësbriand. At this time there were 10 churches and approximately 20,000 Catholics being served by five priests. The Diocese was very much a missionary Diocese with limited resources and a small congregation of Catholics sprinkled throughout the vast state. The terrain was challenging, and the mostly Protestant state did not welcome Catholicism.
Bishop de Goësbriand spent most of his quarter-of-a million-dollar inheritance to travel throughout the state to spread the Good News and build churches, schools and homes for the most vulnerable. The fruits of his labor paid off. By 1891, the number of Catholics more than doubled to 48,000 with 78 churches. In addition, he helped found eight academies and 16 parochial schools in the Diocese with seven congregations of women religious to staff them.By the time he died in 1899, he had spent his entire fortune; he had only $2.12 to his name and a few old suits, noted Father Lance Harlow, rector of St. Joseph Cathedral who wrote a biography of the bishop in 2001. "Bishop de Goësbriand, even though he was raised in a well-respected and well-to-do household, lived in austere simplicity," said Kathleen Messier, assistant diocesan archivist. "In several biographical accounts of Burlington's founding bishop, his Christ-like love of the poor has often been noted."
Today we find the Diocese of Burlington is again missionary territory, similar to what Bishop de Goësbriand faced but with new challenges: Covid-19, declining population and a generation of young people disinterested in joining any type of formal religion.We must face these challenges with the same fortitude and faith as our first leader, Bishop de Goësbriand, and create new ways to engage young people and lay leaders, while keeping our faith community connected during the pandemic and continuing to support the most vulnerable among us. When the pandemic closed our churches, we increased our communication by live-streaming almost 200 faith engagement activities including weekly and Sunday Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, daily rosary, daily scripture reflections and many other faith engagement opportunities. We continued to provide emergency aid to families — many impacted by Covid-19 — moved our Catholic education online and guided our parishes to safely open for the public celebration of the Mass when the stay-home-order was lifted.
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Sacred Heart St. Francis de Sales
The faith community of Sacred Heart Saint Francis de Sales welcomes new visitors as well as old friends to join us in prayer and celebration. Please join us for Mass, in prayer and fellowship or as a guest at one of the church community’s many special events.
We are a warm, vibrant parish and are always happy to see new faces. If you are new to the Bennington area and are interested in becoming a member of the parish, please stop by the parish office or for additional information. We are glad to have you with us.
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