CHRISTMAS EVE NO IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE 3:00 PM - LIVE-STREAM ONLY
CHRISTMAS DAY **IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE BY LOTTERY ONLY** 7:30 AM - St. Mary 9:30 AM - St. Mary (with Live-Stream) 9:30 AM - St. Therese 11:30 AM - St. Therese
Due to the capacity restrictions with COVID-19, you must sign up for the Christmas Day Mass Lottery by December 20th for a chance to attend in-person - click on the link above (preferred method) or call 203-488-1607, ext. 10 and leave a voicemail. A reminder that the dispensation from attending Sunday & Holy Day Masses is extended to February 16, 2021.
PARISH OFFICE CLOSED TO IN-PERSON VISITORS
The Parish Office will be closed until further notice to in-person visitors and most staff will be working from home.
You can still call 203-488-1607 and leave a voicemail or email [email protected] to coordinate routine items such as Mass Cards, Mass Intentions, etc.
Please use the following means of contactless drop-off for items such as envelopes, order forms, etc. - clearly marked in an envelope:
Offertory boxes at the entrances of both churches during Open Hours (see below)
Table in the office foyer (9AM-4:30PM, Mon-Thurs)
Mail to 731 Main St, Branford CT 06405
All in-person ministry meetings and in-person Faith Formation classes will be cancelled until at least the end of the year. Please contact the Faith Formation Office for remote learning information.
MASSES ARE STILL IN-PERSON, see information below!
SUNDAY DISPENSATION EXTENDED
The dispensation from the Sunday obligation has been EXTENDED through FEBRUARY 16, 2021 (the eve of Ash Wednesday) and live-streaming will continue until the dispensation is lifted on our parish Facebook and YouTube channels. Those in high-risk categories are encouraged to continue staying home, even as people begin to return to Mass. We will continue with our temporary Mass schedule below.
At St. John Bosco Parish, we have resumed the public celebration of weekday Mass. Important things to note:
There is a limit of 76 seats at St. Mary and 70 seats at St. Therese (limit of spaces we can fit in our pews 6' apart), with no more than 100 individuals total. Everyone must follow social distancing and wear masks, with NO use of public restrooms. Communion will be safely distributed to those who choose.
Seats are now first-come, first-serve, with limited overflow seating available in the St. Mary Hall on weekends (including the distribution of Communion). To get a seat inside the church on weekends, we recommend arriving at least 15-20 minutes early. One entrance at each church will open 30 minutes prior to each Mass. While we hope not to have to turn anyone away, in the event it does happen we ask for your understanding, patience, and flexibility.
CONFESSIONS have returned to Saturday before the Vigil Mass, 4:00-4:30 PM at St. Mary or by appointment.
With any questions, please contact the Parish Office at 203-488-1607 or [email protected].
LIVE-STREAM MASS
Live-stream Mass every Sunday at 9:30 AM on our parish Facebook page or YouTube channel or watch anytime thereafter. *Note: you do not need a Facebook account in order to view our page!
If using YouTube, be sure to chose 1080p on the settings wheel for best video quality! You can also stream to a smart TV using YouTube or Facebook Watch apps, or plugging your phone/iPad into your smart TV using a HDMI cable.
WORSHIP AIDS!
Click here to download and print the worship aid each week, to follow along with the hymns and readings during Mass!
The churches are open for individual prayer during the following hours:
St. Therese 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM (Mon-Fri)
St. Mary 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM (Mon-Fri) 7:00 AM to 12:00 PM (Sat) 1:00 to 4:00 PM (Sun)
CHRISTMAS FUNDRAISERS
Women's Group Poinsettia Sale
Click here to fill out the online Poinsettia Sale order form, due by December 4th!
ESCA Tree & Wreath Sale
Click here to download the Wreath & Cemetery Piece pre-order form, due by November 23rd!
Advent Giving Tree Gift Cards
This year we will only be collecting Walmart, Stop & Shop, and Big Y Gift Cards for our Advent Giving Tree, which can be returned to the offertory boxes at either church during Open Hours by December 13th!
Wreaths Across America
Click here to visit parishioner Mark Hally's Wreaths Across America project website to make an online donation, or mail checks to Mark Hally at 18 Wilford Ave, Branford CT 06405. Donations of wreaths are $15 each.
We have adopted a new way of communicating with you! You may receive an email or text message from the parish sent from our new system, Evangelus, run by the same company as our Parish App. This is not spam. We encourage you to open the message and follow the link to create a profile and select your preferred form of contact. Get emails or text messages directly to your phone during this time of social distancing, such as the link for live-streamed Mass each week. There will also be groups for you to join, just like on the Parish App. Visit eva.us/johnbosco to sign-up and let us know if you prefer to receive emails or text messages from us!
DO YOU KEEP RECEIVING A RECURRING TEXT MESSAGE?
It has just come to our attention that for those cell phone numbers who were imported into Evangelus, a recurring invitation message will continue to be sent every time we send out a message UNTIL YOU DO ONE OF THE FOLLOWING: respond YES to sign up to receive messages from us, or respond STOP to "opt-out" and not receive any more messages.
Unfortunately this is a system feature and there is nothing we can do on our end to stop it, unless you tell us directly you need help and want to be taken off (or just respond STOP to the message directly). If you need assistance please contact the Parish Office at 203-488-1607 or [email protected]. We apologize for any frustration it has caused!
OFFERTORY - ONLINE, MAIL IN, OR DROP OFF!
Per the diocese, during this time parishioners who are absent from Mass are urged to make alternate provision for their weekly contributions since parishes depend on them for operation. Mail your offertory to the Parish Office (731 Main St), drop off to the offertory box in the vestibule of each church during open hours, or sign up for Online Giving to make a recurring or one-time donation at https://www.saintjohnboscobranford.org/onlinegiving.
WELCOME TO ST. JOHN BOSCO PARISH
On June 29, 2017 the three Catholic parishes of Branford (St. Mary, St. Therese, and St. Elizabeth) were united into one parish named St. John Bosco Parish. This new, united parish will have the use of two church buildings: St. Mary Church and St. Therese Church. While St. Elizabeth Church will no longer have any regularly scheduled Masses, the parish family of St. Elizabeth will be a vital part of the new parish of St. John Bosco. We look forward to all the opportunities this merger will provide as our churches join together to form a more vibrant and prayerful Catholic community here in Branford.
We are excited to welcome the patronage and guidance of St. John Bosco into the Branford Catholic community. If you would like to know more about our new name and the patron saint of our new, united parish, CLICK HERE to find information about his life and service in the Church.
Upcoming Events
Recent Events
Jorge's Musical Meditations
First Communion 2020
Confirmation 2020
Upcoming Funerals
Angela Farricielli - Wed, Dec. 2 @ 12:00 PM at St. Mary.
How to Watch Daily Mass
The television Mass is broadcast seven days a week at 10:00 AM on WCCT-TV (WB20) and WCTX-TV (MyTV9). It can also be seen Saturday and Sunday at 5:00 AM on WCCT-TV. The Mass can also be found streaming live at these times on http://www.ortv.org/streaming/streaming.htm.
BOSCOnnect
St. John Bosco is introducing a new outreach program called BOSCOnnect, in an effort to keep "connected" to parishioners during these trying times of the pandemic - especially the isolated, the elderly, and those without families in the area.
If you or someone you know would like to be included in this program by receiving a weekly phone call and/or being assisted with basic needs, please email [email protected] or call 203-488-1607, ext. 10.
Parish Vision Plan
We are excited to present our Parish Vision Plan, which lays out goals for the next three years to help us live our mission more fully, and the milestones we've determined are necessary to meet our goals. These are priorities of where we feel we need to improve on as a parish, based on the results of our parish survey. Please take some time to read it by clicking here, and see how your family can help us achieve these goals. For more info or with any questions, please contact Sue Allen at [email protected].
Across the Archdiocese, some parishes have reported email scams which appear to come from the Pastor asking for money. At quick glance the email resembles a valid email address but in fact it is not. These email phishing scams falsely identify themselves as the pastor of the parish and may even reference his actual name. Under no circumstances do parishes or pastors ask for donations in this way and reference buying gift cards, wire transfers, or Bitcoin.
Parishioners in Branford have reported getting emails and even text messages from people appearing to be Fr. Keefe or Fr. Glen, asking for donations of gift cards. THIS IS A SCAM. If you have responded to any of these messages, consider changing your email passwords to ensure your own account safety. CLICK HERE to download a document "How to Tell if an Email is a Scam" to help you understand how to determine if an email is legitimate in any situation.
Promise to Protect
Please visit https://promise.archdioceseofhartford.org/, the Archdiocese of Hartford's website dedicated solely to responding to the sexual abuse crisis within the Church. Read the Archbishop's statements, watch video messages, find resources for the Office of Safe Environment and Victim Assistance and Reporting, and download prayers.
On June 29, 2017 the three Catholic parishes of Branford (St. Mary, St. Therese, and St. Elizabeth) were united into one parish named St. John Bosco Parish. This new, united parish will have the use of two church buildings: St. Mary Church and St. Therese Church. While St. Elizabeth Church will no longer have any regularly scheduled Masses, the parish family of St. Elizabeth will be a vital part of the new parish of St. John Bosco. We look forward to all the opportunities this merger will provide as our churches join together to form a more vibrant and prayerful Catholic community here in Branford.
We are excited to welcome the patronage and guidance of 
Across the Archdiocese, some parishes have reported email scams which appear to come from the Pastor asking for money. At quick glance the email resembles a valid email address but in fact it is not. These email phishing scams falsely identify themselves as the pastor of the parish and may even reference his actual name. Under no circumstances do parishes or pastors ask for donations in this way and reference buying gift cards, wire transfers, or Bitcoin.