Welcome to "The One"!

Allow me to begin by offering my sincere thanks to everyone who attended the gatherings of parish leaders that began in January and ended a few weeks ago. More than 2,300 parish leaders attended these nine meetings. I am deeply grateful for the commitment of time and travel made by those who were able to participate in what I believe is an audacious invitation by the Holy Spirit to foster a true and lasting renewal of our Church. I call it “The One” because it is the single greatest priority we will embrace as a diocesan family in the years ahead.

As I indicated in my remarks, a key objective in changing the culture of our Church is to foster ongoing communication among everyone in leadership. Such communication will be both informational and formational; that is, provide information about ongoing opportunities to encounter the Lord through truth, beauty and goodness, as well as provide materials to deepen our understanding and appreciation of what a culture of “evangelizing catechesis” really means. Such sustained communication is essential for our work to succeed.

I am pleased to send you this first message in what I hope will be a weekly correspondence emailed to all parish leaders every Monday. What accompanies this inaugural bulletin is a “white paper” that summarizes the main theological points of my presentation. In addition to English, the white paper is available in Spanish, Portuguese and Creole.

Future weeks will highlight initiatives that already exist, providing opportunities to encounter the Lord’s truth, love and mercy in ordinary and extraordinary ways. Future messages will also feature vibrant small communities of faith that already exist throughout the Diocese, as well as formational questions for your personal reflection.

Our work to rebuild a vibrant, faithful and transformative Catholic culture has begun in earnest. Please join me in prayer, through the intercession of the Mother of God, that our work will bear great fruit in the years ahead.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Frank J. Caggiano
Bishop of Bridgeport

My dear friends,

I had the great privilege to meet with more than 2,300 parish leaders at the start of 2023, in a series of meetings that introduced “the One”. Many thanks to everyone who was able to attend those meetings and the feedback that you offered following our conversations.

At that time, I mentioned my plan to have a second set of meetings, arranged by deaneries, to allow all the pastors, along with their lay leaders, to explore specific opportunities that the One could offer their parishes. These meetings will also provide a forum wherein we can begin to explore regional ministry planning.

Each meeting will begin with a light breakfast at 8:30 AM, followed by prayer and the start of the meeting at 9:00 AM. The entire session will conclude before 11:00 AM.

All pastoral and administrative parish leaders are invited to attend their respective location meetings. This includes the parish trustees, members of finance and pastoral councils, all liturgical ministers, and catechists. Please note that you will be asked to attend the meeting in your deanery.

Planning continues to finalize these meetings. A detailed update will be sent to you at the end of August and registration will open in LEAD on September 1, 2023. For now, please mark your calendars and make every effort to attend these historic gatherings!

Please know of my prayers for you and your families. Best wishes for a blessed summer.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Frank J. Caggiano
Bishop of Bridgeport

Upcoming Meetings

The dates and locations for the nine regional meetings are:

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Beauty Is Who God Is

Seeds of Beauty

Whenever we see something that provokes a sense of awe and wonder within us, we are, in fact, gazing upon God. Our ability to discern beauty doesn’t need to serve any practical end: it’s simply because we are made in God’s image that we can discover Him in the things He has made. For this reason, the Guild of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus exists – to foster the experience of beauty in our Diocese.

The Guild seeks to showcase ‘the art of the possible’ – discerning excellence in a broad array of creative projects – all of whose aim is to inspire the Arts in our Catholic life. As such, the Guild is a key component of ‘The One’, exploring various ways to promote an encounter with Christ – and following up such encounters with a community of like-minded people.

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The One Video Series

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Encounter and Accompaniment

10. Becoming Eucharistic People

9. The Art of Accompaniment

8. What does it mean to Encounter Christ through Goodness?

7. What does it mean to Encounter Christ through Beauty?

6. What does it mean to Encounter Christ though Truth?

5. An invitation to being surprised by God

4. No one is left behind

3. Encountering Christ in Love

Catholic Chat

Artificial Intelligence has been all over the news lately. Screen writers in Hollywood are on strike, in part, because they do not want computers auto-generating scripts. Educators worry about students using AI to create content instead of doing their own homework. Corporations are afraid workers will let AI complete tasks assigned to employees. Most of us, however, have more to worry about than whether AI will replace us.

I believe there is a flip side to the argument. Artificial Intelligence can be used for good. If used wisely, AI can interface with documents, websites, and texts so the user can interact with the words on the page more than ever before.

Enter Catholic Chat, a web app that provides an interactive and engaging opportunity for users seeking answers from the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

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The Future and Present Church

Small Group Opportunities

"The One" is our commitment to focusing every aspect of the Church on bringing individuals closer to God. We achieve this goal by creating opportunities for encountering God and fostering communities that accompany and support each other on their faith journeys. Throughout our diocese, communities of young adults are coming together, exemplifying what "The One" is all about.

The Face of Prayer

Moments of Grace

Imagine standing in the kitchen of your home, arguing with your spouse. Like every couple, you have had arguments before, but this one seems different. As you stand there contemplating your future, your phone buzzes.

It is a text from The Face of Prayer. You read it.

May we always be the first to forgive. Hail Mary…

A calm comes over you. The fight is over. You laugh with your spouse about how one text can change everything.

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