St. John Bosco Parish

WINTER WEATHER POLICY 

As a reminder, during the winter months our Daily Mass at 7:30 AM at St. Mary will not be celebrated when inclement weather forces the closing, delay, or remote learning of Branford Public Schools. We feel that this is the best way to ensure everyone’s safety by not driving or walking in hazardous conditions. Please watch news Channels 3, 4, or 8 for the following info:

Branford Schools CLOSED/DELAYED/REMOTE 
= NO MASS

*If you do not see a notification, Mass is STILL scheduled!

You can also sign up for text notifications sent directly to your phone at www.nbcconnecticut.com/weather/school-closings/, or for our parish emails/text messages through the Evengelus system at eva.us/johnbosco. 

KY DISASTER RELIEF

We are praying for those in KY and across the Midwest! If you would like to make a donation to the victims of the recent severe weather, you can do so at https://www.catholiccharities.us/campaign/ccusa-disaster-relief/c353051. 

You can also mail a check made out to Catholic Charities USA with a note on the memo line to:

Catholic Charities 
2050 Ballenger Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22314

NEW GUIDELINES MAY 19TH + DISPENSATION UPDATE

The Archdiocese of Hartford released the following information based the State's guidelines changing on May 19, 2021. Please read all of the information below carefully, and reach out to the Parish Office with any questions. You can also visit https://archdioceseofhartford.org/coronavirus where both letters dated May 10th are posted. We look forward to continuing to welcome you back to Mass! 

1) As of Saturday, May 22, 2021, the General Dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass in person on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation will be lifted. 

However, since the risk of infection, though diminished, still remains, the following individuals with valid health concerns or fears about the virus may very legitimately decide not yet to attend: 

• Those suffering from serious pre-existing conditions making them more susceptible to COVID-19;
• Those who are ill or homebound or who are caregivers in close contact with someone who is;
• Those who have tested positive for any contagious disease, including COVID-19;
• Those who are in quarantine due to exposure to any contagion, or who reside with someone who is quarantined. 

2) Live-Streaming will continue for the time being for those who still cannot attend in-person. 

3) Our temporary COVID Mass schedule will continue until attendance numbers warrant the return to 6 Masses per weekend (see graphic above):

The St. Mary Hall will continue to be set up for overflow seating in some capacity, for those who choose to sit there instead of the main church.

Confessions will not resume at St. Therese until proper updates are made to the Reconciliation room

4) The following indoor guidelines will change on May 19th:

• 100% capacity with no pew tape/ropes or specific social distancing
• Masks are still optional for those who have been fully vaccinated, but strongly recommended
• Congregational singing is permitted once again with masks, although we will not encourage full congregational singing at St. John Bosco until a later date, to allow our parishioners time to ease back into in-person Mass.
• Use of restrooms available during Mass
• Sign of Peace can resume but with no hand contact
• Holy water fonts will be filled once again, but there will still be no Offertory procession
• We will continue to use the offertory boxes at both churches in lieu of passing the basket

5) Ministry Meetings will follow these same new guidelines

• 100% capacity in the Hall with use of tables and no specific social distancing
• Masks are still optional for those who have been fully vaccinated, but strongly recommended
• No sanitization afterwards by volunteers (parish staff will handle)
• Multiple meetings can be scheduled at the same time in the St. Mary Hall with the use of the room dividers, as needed.
• Food gatherings are still suspended, with the exception of Coffee and.

 
LIVE-STREAM MASS

For those who still need to watch from home, live-stream Mass every Sunday at 9:30 AM on our parish Facebook page or YouTube channel or watch anytime thereafter. 

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 our 1/23 Sunday Mass Worship Aid!

The churches are open for individual prayer during the following hours: 

St. Therese
9:00 AM to 3:00 PM (Mon-Fri)

St. Mary
7:00 AM to 6:00 PM

The Parish Office is also open to in-person visitors
8:30 AM to 4:30 PM (Mon-Fri)

Click here to visit the Faith Formation page.

FORWARD WITH FAITH

Forward with Faith (FWF) is a fundraising campaign by the Hartford Bishops Foundation to build a vibrant community of faith in the parishes, schools, and Catholic organizations in the Archdiocese of Hartford. Its goal is to raise long-term funds to empower our Church to stand prepared to serve future generations of Catholics. That is why this campaign is not only, or even principally, about the Archdiocese.

50% of funds collected through each local parish campaign will remain with the parish for specific projects outlined in a  case statement. Parishes that exceed their goals will receive 80% of those additional funds collected. This is an incredible opportunity for us to help our Archdiocese prepare for the future while taking care of our own parish needs. 

Everyone is invited and encouraged to participate in this effort.  Thank you to all who have given thus far in the leadership phase to help make our campaign a success — we  have  already  reached  56%  of  our parish goal of $1,260,000! All gifts to the Forward with Faith campaign of any size are greatly appreciated! For more information,  visit https://forwardwithfaith.hartfordbishopsfoundation.org/

Click here to download the Annual Report of the Hartford Bishops' Foundation.

BIBLE IN A YEAR

Click here to see more information and links about "The Bible in a Year" Podcast by Fr. Mike Schmitz! 

EVA.US/JOHNBOSCO

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!

OFFERTORY - ONLINE, MAIL IN, OR DROP OFF!

The archdiocese urges that during this time parishioners who are absent from Mass make alternative provision for their weekly contributions since parishes depend on them for operation.  You can mail your offertory to the Parish Office (731 Main St.), drop off to the offertory box in the vestibule of either 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.