No images? Click here ![]() Stories of Encounter and Accompaniment My Dear Friends, In a previous newsletter, I asked the faithful to consider sharing their stories of encounter and accompaniment. We have begun to collect those stories and will be sharing them over the next few weeks. This week, we have a story from MA. Sincerely yours in Christ, Most Reverend Frank J Caggiano ![]() ![]() ![]() More than 20 years ago, while serving as a volunteer at an Emmaus retreat, we heard a priest explain why the Eucharist is the full presence of Jesus, after which he processed to a side chapel with the monstrance. I made a beeline for the chapel because there was something I had to deal with. I knelt down in front of the Blessed Sacrament and prayed, “Lord, I mean absolutely no disrespect to you whatsoever, but I don't believe that's you up there. Is it?” No sooner was that silent prayer uttered than I began to sense a “presence” in the room – a presence that grew and grew and grew like a giant ball materializing out of nothing, completely enveloping me. The stronger that presence got, the lower I got until my nose was on the rug because I knew I was in the presence of God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And God quickly demonstrated that He had come with a purpose far greater than answering my question. He had come to embrace me. To saturate me with love. To immerse me in it. I felt myself embraced entirely – every part of my body, including my internal organs; all my thoughts and beliefs; even the darkest, previously unknown closets of fear, ugliness, sinfulness and the reasons behind them. And yet I did not perceive even the slightest hint of criticism, disapproval, correction or disappointment. In that embrace I felt more loved, wanted, needed, valuable, treasured, forgiven and joyful than I could ever possibly imagine. One of the two thoughts I had while bowing low was that The Lord didn't have to do this. He could have given me a purely (theo)logical response that touched my mind, heart and soul in some way to convince me that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. But He went way, way, way beyond that because He knew that I needed much more. My other thought was very simple: So this is what heaven is like - the eternal, limitless loving embrace of The One. I was being loved as I've never been loved before, nor ever will be again in this life. Language fails me when I try to find the words to express what I was experiencing. The closest word is ecstasy. I tried to imagine moments of being intensely loved in this life but nothing I thought of could even come close to what I was experiencing. I begged God to take me home right then and there. Needless to say, He didn't. I remained on the rug, nose down, unmoving, for… maybe five minutes, maybe ten. I didn't want anything to interfere, but eventually my body began to ache, and I heard Jesus say, “Sit up or you'll hurt your back.” I obeyed and that was the end of the divine embrace. This experience occurred more than 20 years ago. I'd be lying if I said I have always had His embrace at the forefront of my thoughts. For a long time afterward I recalled it as a great one-time experience. Only later have I realized it is meant to nourish and renew me every day. It remains, without question, THE single most important experience of my life, one that is even more real to me than the world I live in because the unimaginable became real. God's embrace has become the unshakable core of my faith. It is the memory that comforts me whenever I am troubled, afraid, in pain or even sinful. It is the knowledge of what awaits me in heaven. It is the knowledge that, no matter what suffering I may yet endure in this life, I will eventually be enveloped in God's eternal embrace. ![]() ![]() If you have a story of encounter or accompaniment you would like to share, please email [email protected]. You will have the option of writing your story or meeting with one of the bishop’s team and recording your audio. |
No images? Click here ![]() Stories of Encounter and Accompaniment My Dear Friends, In a previous newsletter, I asked the faithful to consider sharing their stories of encounter and accompaniment. We have begun to collect those stories and will be sharing them over the next few weeks. This week, we have a story from JS. Sincerely yours in Christ, Most Reverend Frank J Caggiano ![]() ![]() I'm from Stamford and went to visit my brother in Monroe. I had visited many times and each time, it seemed I took a new way home. In the darkness, it was easy to get lost. ![]() One time, leaving in the darkness and without the modern luxury of GPS, I took a wrong turn. Then another. In time, I could not even backtrack to his house to start over. To make matters worse, many residential streets are not lit. I was lost. Completely and totally lost. I took hold of a fabric Sacred Heart picture on my rearview mirror. I'm not sure I even said anything. I just held it. Immediately after, a car from the left side of the intersection turned in front of me and then darted into a residential drive. It was dark and nearly 9 pm. I pulled into the driveway alongside the car and the two female occupants asked, "Can I help you?" I am sure they were as nervous as I was. I proceeded to explain that I was lost and trying to get to I-95. The young lady in the passenger seat turned to the driver said something and then turned back to me and said, "She's just dropping me What were the chances of that? It was as if Jesus lifted their car and placed it directly in front of me. Thank you my Lord. It wasn't the first rescue I needed and probably not the last. Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in you. ![]() ![]() If you have a story of encounter or accompaniment you would like to share, please email [email protected]. You will have the option of writing your story or meeting with one of the bishop’s team and recording your audio. |
No images? Click here ![]() Stories of Encounter and Accompaniment My Dear Friends, In a previous newsletter, I asked the faithful to consider sharing their stories of encounter and accompaniment. We have begun to collect those stories and will be sharing them over the next few weeks. This week, we have a story from MA. Sincerely yours in Christ, Most Reverend Frank J Caggiano ![]() ![]() When I was about 12 years old, I went through a very difficult period. There were problems in my family, and I feared for their physical safety, especially my mother. There was no one who could help change the situation. There was no place we could go. I felt very alone. I prayed, and prayed, and prayed. The worry was affecting me physically and mentally. The situation remained the same. ![]() For a period of several evenings during this time, I saw on my bedroom bureau, tiny lights in the form of a rosary. Before going to bed, I would look outside my window and around my room to try and find the source of the little beads of light that were appearing on my bureau, but I could find nothing. Each night when I went to bed, I would stare at the rosary beads of light before falling asleep. After a few nights, they stopped appearing. After several months, I began to wonder if I really saw the lighted rosary. Was it my imagination? After all, I was under a lot of stress. Maybe it didn’t really happen. Two years later, I was a freshman in high school. I went to a small, Catholic, all-girls school. In our religion class, we started talking about extraordinary religious experiences. A classmate of mine (I think her name was G) raised her hand and told a story about how her mother had passed away just a couple of years prior. She said for several nights, on her bedroom wall, appeared lights in the form of a rosary. This experience gave her comforted in her grief. I couldn’t believe my ears! I wasn’t dreaming the lighted rosary beads. I wasn’t imagining them. Like she did for G, the Blessed Mother was letting me know that she understood all that I was going through and that she would help me in ways that I could not see nor understand. Although I suffered much during this time, things did eventually work out. I was happy to know that I wasn’t alone. The Blessed Mother was with me all the time. It has been over 40 years since I saw my lighted rosary, but I think of it often, especially during trying times. Mary, Queen of the Rosary, pray for us. ![]() ![]() If you have a story of encounter or accompaniment you would like to share, please email [email protected]. You will have the option of writing your story or meeting with one of the bishop’s team and recording your audio. |
No images? Click here ![]() Stories of Encounter and Accompaniment My Dear Friends, In a previous newsletter, I asked the faithful to consider sharing their stories of encounter and accompaniment. We have begun to collect those stories and will be sharing them over the next few weeks. This week, we have a story from CO. Sincerely yours in Christ, Most Reverend Frank J Caggiano ![]() ![]() My sister had been away from the practice of the faith and didn’t really know who Jesus was, as I discovered on a visit to her house. ![]() I picked up a book from her table and asked her what she was reading. It was a book about Buddha. We chatted a bit and I mentioned that Jesus pre-dates Buddha. That seemed to surprise her. Then, out of nowhere, I quoted Scripture to her: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” We talked some more about how Jesus IS the Word and how the Sacred Scriptures are filled with good advice, great stories, and instructions for how we live. Eventually, her journey led her back to the Christian faith. Before she died, she had returned to church – and to Scripture. I’ve never forgotten how the inspiration to share a little bit of what I know encouraged her to come home to Jesus. I guess St. Jerome was right: “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” St. Jerome, pray for us. ![]() ![]() If you have a story of encounter or accompaniment you would like to share, please email [email protected]. You will have the option of writing your story or meeting with one of the bishop’s team and recording your audio. |
No images? Click here ![]() Bishop Caggiano's June 1st Mass Of Thanksgiving Homily ![]() My dear sisters and brothers in the Lord, It was day three of the eucharistic procession, and I woke up with a grateful heart. And my feet were killing me. In fact, there were parts of my feet that were hurting that I didn’t even know I had. But nonetheless, day three, and all the graces that would come with it were before me. And as the other days began, that day, I found myself with the good people of St. Matthews in Norwalk and those who were visiting that wonderful parish, first to celebrate the Eucharist together, and then to have a procession to a place in a moment of grace that, I must confess, my friends, has transformed my life. For, as many of you know, near St. Matthews is St. John’s cemetery. And on that morning, we took our Eucharistic Lord to that place of rest for those who ate His body and drank His blood, and rest now in the sleep of peace. And it was remarkable to see the Eucharistic Lord being carried in the midst of rows and rows and rows who are awaiting His return in glory. And the words we heard in sacred scripture, in the gospel today jumped out and became, took a life in my own mind that, quite frankly, up to that point, I had understood, but not, perhaps so deeply felt. Sincerely yours in Christ, Most Reverend Frank J Caggiano ![]() |
No images? Click here ![]() Eucharistic Miracles Across the World ![]() My dear friends, Miracles of the Eucharist are divine interventions that confirm our faith in the real presence of the body and blood of the Lord in the Eucharist. We are familiar with the Catholic doctrine relating to this real presence; with the Words of Consecration, “this is my body” and “this is my blood,” the substance of the bread becomes the body of Christ, and the substance of the wine becomes his blood. But how much do you know about the 187 documented Eucharistic Miracles? The Eucharistic Miracles email campaign will share one new miracle every week that you can read about, pray over, reflect upon, and share with others. The journey through the miracles will take approximately three years, no matter when you subscribe. If you subscribe today, you will receive the first email within a few days. If you subscribe in a month, you will begin at the beginning and your journey will last a little longer than others. We do not want you to miss anything. Feel free to send these links to anyone you wish to invite them to join in this wonderful journey. Sincerely yours in Christ, Most Reverend Frank J Caggiano ![]() |
No images? Click here ![]() Stories of Encounter and Accompaniment My Dear Friends, In a previous newsletter, I asked the faithful to consider sharing their stories of encounter and accompaniment. We have been collecting those stories and will be sharing them over the next few weeks. This week, we have a story from KR. Sincerely yours in Christ, Most Reverend Frank J Caggiano ![]() ![]() ![]() My earliest memory of being accompanied is seeing my dad kneel at his bed every night before going to sleep. It did not matter how late it was, how tired he was, or what his mood was. He never got into bed without first kneeling and praying. This was the beginning of the impact my dad's spiritual life had on my faith. One day Dad asked if I wanted to attend daily Mass at St. Giles with him during Lent. We went every morning. It was a great way to start the day before work and school. It spoke to me of the importance of taking time out of each day to keep God in my life. Throughout my Catholic grammar school days, I became very close to the Dominican sisters who taught in my grade school. I was in awe of them and wanted to become a sister immediately after eighth grade. My dad thought it was a wonderful idea but asked that I wait until high school graduation. He believed that I was too young to join the convent at age thirteen. So I attended high school with more Dominican sisters and still planned to enter the convent after graduation. The sisters often called my dad for rides from their suburban Chicago convent to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, or Rockford, Illinois. A group of sisters always prayed at the car before the traveling sisters and my dad departed. It was so beautiful to see that prayer was such an integral part of life. Senior year arrived and I fell in love. Ironically, the boy lived across the street from a convent of Dominican sisters! When I thought of being in that convent and looking across the street, I felt a tug at my heart and realized that perhaps my vocation was not for the religious life. Again, my dad was very supportive, never questioning my change of heart. He was so happy that I would be marrying a man whose Catholic faith was the center of his life, as it was the center of mine. That central place of faith in my life was rooted in my dad's example of discipleship as he strived to follow Jesus in his daily life through prayer, good works, and the sacraments. My dear dad accompanied me throughout his life, and I believe he still accompanies me from heaven. Thank you, Dad. ![]() ![]() If you have a story of encounter or accompaniment you would like to share, please email [email protected]. You will have the option of writing your story or meeting with one of the bishop’s team and recording your audio. |