Holy Disciples Parish at St. John the Evangelist Church

Click on the image below to open the registration form for the Holy Disciples Parish Unification Celebration on August 14.

Good Morning

 

Today is a new beginning for the Church in Watertown/Oakville. We are now one community of faith under the name Holy Disciples Parish. Every 4th of July we celebrate and give thanks for the gift that was left to us by our founders, while at the same time we look forward to the future. This 4th of July weekend we give thanks for the legacies of St Mary Magdalen Parish and St. John the Evangelist Parish that have served Catholics for generations. We now take those legacies, unite them, and go forward with new strength and passion to accomplish our ultimate mission - proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Please join me in giving thanks for those who labored to build our Catholic communities-(a legacy that will endure) and celebrate a new future filled with exciting possibilities. 

 

Happy 4th of July weekend!! 

 

Fr Anthony J Smith

Pastor

Holy Disciples Parish 

As we move forward transitioning to our new parish, Holy Disciples, sonme things will take a longer period of time to convert than others. One such item is our Finances.

We ask that current parishioners who worship at St. John the Evangelist continue to write checks payable to St. John the Evangelist and likewsie, those who worship at St. Mary Magdalen contiunue to write checks payable to St. Mary Magdalen. You may continue to use your existing envelopes and on-line giving until further notice.

If you have any questions on this matter, please don't hesitate to contact the parish office.

We, the people of God gathered as St. John the Evangelist faith community share the life-giving Word, the Eucharist and the sacraments, so that all might come to believe in the Son and have eternal life. Given this abundant life, we feel called to share our gifts and our faith with others.

Young Parishioners - grade 4 and older!

Speaking before a large group of young men and women, last year, Pope Francis told them that being an altar server should be a "profession of faith" to the entire parish community.

If you have already received your first communion and would like to serve your parish community as an altar server, please call the Parish Office and leave your name and phone number, and let us know if you’d like to serve at St. John the Evangelist Church or at St. Mary Magdalen Church.  We will be scheduling dates for training at each church.  Those who have served on the altar before and new servers are both welcome!

Decree Merging the following Parishes:
Saint Mary Magdalen in Oakville, and
Saint John the Evangelist in Watertown, Connecticut.

On July 1, 2022, the parishes of Saint Mary Magdalen in Oakville and Saint John the Evangelist in Watertown, Connecticut, will merge to form a new parish to be known as Holy Disciples Parish, in accordance with canons 121 & 515 §2 of the Code of Canon. On April 26, 2022, Archbishop Leonard P. Blair issued a decree effecting the merger of the aforementioned two parishes.

During the weekend of May 14/15, 2022, the decree will be read at all Masses, and its substance will be communicated to all parishioners by means of a notice in the weekend bulletins of Saint Mary Magdalen Parish and Saint John the Evangelist Parish, including the display in appropriate places at the churches, so that parishioners can read it as they enter or exit the churches. It will also be available on the Archdiocese of Hartford website, under the News/Public Notices Section, [https://archdioceseofhartford.org/public-notices/]. Canonical recourse may be made within the peremptory time limit of ten (10) days from the legitimate notification of the decree and in accordance with the norm of law (c. 1734 §2).

To read the full decree click here

The 2022 Archbishop’s Annual Appeal is now underway in our parish. Your support of this year’s Appeal ensures that essential charitable, educational, and pastoral ministries of the Archdiocese of Hartford are carried forward.

* For the sixth year in a row, in 2021, the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal Vicariate Outreach Program provided over $1,000,000 to over 180 local organizations in Hartford, Litchfield and New Haven counties.
* Organizations such as Carolyn’s Place and the Watertown Food Bank, right here in our own town, received funding from the Appeal’s Vicariate Outreach Program that makes a difference in serving our neighbors

To view some of the wonderful things accomplished through your generosity, the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal is launching a new web-series called, The Annual Appeal at Work. The premiere episode will be airing on Thursday, March 3rd on all Archdiocesan Social Media sites as well as the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal webpage. New episodes will air the first week of each month, for the rest of 2022. Each episode will highlight some of the wonderful ministries supported by the 2022 Archbishop’s Annual Appeal, Stronger Together. If you go to the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal Website, https://archdioceseofhartford.org/appeal/ you will find a link for each episode. 

Click on the button above if you would like to make an online donation. All funds contributed to the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal are used exclusively for the purposes outlined in the Appeal literature, which can be found at https://archdioceseofhartford.org/appeal/ No Appeal funds are ever used for legal fees or settlements.

At St. John the Evangelist Church our Mass Schedule is:

Saturday:  5:00 PM Vigil 

Sunday:  7:30 AM, 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM

Our 9:00 AM Mass will be available through “livestream” on Facebook.