ST. THOMAS BECKET PARISH center of unbroken praise 435 North Brooksvale Rd., Cheshire, CT 06410 Rev. Eugene J. Charman, Pastor, frgene@snet.net Rectory address: 511 Sharon Dr. Rectory Phone: (203) 272-3324 Parish Phone: (203) 272-5777 Parish Fax: (203) 271-9210 Parish E-Mail : stboffice1@snet.net

Parish Secretary, Mrs. Margaret Irving, 203-272-5777; e-mail: stboffice1@snet.net
Coordinator of Religious Formation, Phyllis Provost McNeil, 203-272-5777 ; e-mail: stb-dre@snet.net
Web Site: http://www.stthomasbecket.org
Masses: Saturday Vigil - 5:00 P.M. (DST) Sunday - 8:00, 9:30, 11:00AM
Weekdays: 9:00 AM (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday); Holy Days: as announced.
Confessions: Saturday, 4:00 – 4:30 PM
Rosary - Monday at 7:00 PM, daily after the 9:00 AM Mass, and before the Saturday Vigil Mass.

22^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 31, 2008

Announced Masses:

AREA MASS SCHEDULE
St. Bridget - Daily (M-F) 7:00 AM, Sat. 9:00 AM, Sat. Vigil 4:30 PM, Sun. 7:30, 9:00 & 11:00 AM
Epiphany - Daily (M,T,W,F) 8:30 AM, Sat. Vigil 4:00 PM, Sun. 8:30 & 10:30 AM
O.L. Mt. Carmel - (M-F) 7:30 & 9:00 AM, Sat. 8:00 AM, Sat. Vigil 5:00 PM, Sun. 8:00, 10:00 , 11:30 AM
O.L. Fatima, Yalesville (M,T, W) 8:00 AM, Sat. Vigil 4:00 PM, Sun. 8:30 & 10:30 AM

Financial Report. Offertory: $6,022. Your generosity makes possible the good work of our church.

The second collection this weekend will be our annual missionary appeal. A Jesuit Father is here to celebrate Mass and tell us about the work of their mission. Please be as generous as possible.

Religious Formation . If you have not yet registered your child for our program please do so as soon as possible as classes are now being assigned. You may register by mail, e-mail, or in the Parish Office during regular office hours.

Teachers. Thanks to several parishioners who answered our call to teach we were able to fill some of our teaching spots. However, we are still in need of teachers ; one 2^nd grade (Mondays-weekly), one 4^th grade (Sat. AM) , two 6^th grade (Tuesdays PM – bi-weekly) and three 7^th grade (Monday – bi-weekly). This is a great opportunity to work with the youngest members of our parish. Will you be the one to answer the call? If so, please call Phyllis 272-5777.

Confirmation Date: Friday, October 3, 2008, 7 PM Archbishop Mansell.

Youth Spectacular 2008 For those in grades 7–12, Saturday , Oct. 4^th, 10:30 AM to 6:30 PM at Holiday Hill. Archbishop Mansell will give the keynote: “Who do you say that I am?”. Amazing Grace team builders and icebreakers, activities, continuous food, time for prayer, confession, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Mass, and much more . Registration deadline Sept. 12^th. Cost $25 per person. (The first 20 from our parish will go for free - only 8 slots are left!!) Call the Parish Office to register.

There will be No Daily Mass this week while Fr. Gene is on vacation. Sunday Masses will be as usual. Please check the times of daily Masses at our neighboring parishes.

Prayer Shawl Ministry will meet Friday, September 5^th at 10:00 AM in the Parish Center.

Come join The Becket's Book Group, sponsored by the Women's Club, which meets the second Wednesday of the month at church from 7:00 – 8:30 PM. Next meeting is Sept. 10^th. The group will be selecting books to read. Please bring some ideas of books you would like to read and we will fill in the calendar for the coming year. Contact Kathy 272-1372.

Men's Golf Tournament. The annual St. Thomas Becket Golf Tournament will be held Sunday, Oct. 19^th. Cost is $65 and includes 9 holes of golf at Woodhaven Country Club (carts extra), prizes and dinner. Look for the poster and sign-up forms in the vestibule. Call Jim 272-0768 or Mark 272-9014 for more information. All are welcome to join us! Proceeds from the tournament benefit the Men's Club Scholarship. Men's Club next meeting will be Monday, September 8^th at 7:15 PM to plan for the tournament.

Stewardship. In today's second reading, St. Paul exhorts the Romans to total stewardship. Brothers and sisters, he urges "...offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God."

New Day . A ten week Bereavement Seminar will be held a St. Bridget School Library beginning Wed., Sept. 24^th from 7-9 PM. To register call 271-2372 or 272-0070.

Cheshire Water Garden Tour. A self-guided tour of six Cheshire Water Gardens with unique water features will be held on Saturday, Sept. 6^th from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Our St. Francis Meditation garden will be one of the ponds on the tour. Tickets are on sale at local businesses. A special thanks to Adam, our maintenance man, for his hard work in maintaining our pond and getting it ready for the tour.

Family Perspective. Relationships live in a careful balance. If a person changes, the balance is altered requiring a shift in the relationship. In today's gospel Jesus announced a change and Peter resisted. Jesus told Peter: “You are an obstacle to me.” Sometimes, those we count on for support may actually be an obstacle.