The Parish of Saint Mary is a Roman Catholic community founded in 1874. The parish consists of the rectory, the stone church, parish center, and a dedicated clergy, staff and laypeople.
Mass is held daily during the week at 7am, 8am and 12:05pm, with an additional 5:30pm service during Lent. On Saturdays, a morning service is held at 8am and two vigils take place at 4pm and 5:15pm. The 7:30pm Saturday mass is read in Spanish. Sunday services are held at 7am, 9am, 10:30am, 12:15pm and 5:15pm.
Religious education classes are offered during the week for children, as well as special program to guide children through First Reconciliation, Holy Communion and Confirmation. The parish youth group coordinates numerous social activities for young people.
Music echoes through the church, with sung prayer of the youth and adult choirs, comprised of volunteers and professionals. Adults can participate in a number of faith formation groups and events. The church is also home to the Hispanic Center.
Historic Christ Episcopal Church located on Main Street adjacent to the historic district has been an institutional fixture in the town of Stratford for more than three centuries. The Church celebrated its 300th anniversary in 2007.
Christ Episcopal Church offers regular Sunday and weekly services, Sunday School for children, a Teen Ministry, Adult Education, music programs (including children's and adult bell choir) and other programs.
The Rev. Mary Canavan is the interim rector, the Rev. Lee Forshaw is Deacon, and the Rev. James Wilson is the resident priest.
Christ Episcopal Church also has an active lay Vestry that works with the Church leadership in leading the parish.
St. Catherine of Siena Church started when residents from the Nichols section of town wanted to establish their own church. In 1955, the parish was formed and the church ground was broken in 1957, according to the church's website. Today it serves 1,100 families and has its own school as well as the Halloran Pastoral Center on a five-acre campus. The Rev. Msgr. Richard J. Shea is pastor.
The baroque architectural style of this church, built in the 1930's, is modeled on one in Mellili, Sicily, the village where many Middletown families trace their origins. Religious education classes are held Sundays 8:45am-9:55am for grades one, four, five and six; Mondays, 4:30pm-5:30pm for grades two and three; and Mondays 6pm-7pm for grades seven and eight.
The Niantic Community Church traces its roots back to the Colonial days, as it was originally founded in 1719. Today it is a federated congregation of the United Methodist Church and the United Church of Christ. The beautiful white building hosts a variety of services and community activities, helping the congregation to continue its rich tradition.
The Church of Christ is led by Pastor Walter Pitman and runs a weekly service and Sunday school. It has a comprehensive outreach program as well, including work in soup kitchens, mission trips and support of Safe Haven shelters.
St. George Greek Orthodox Church offers a full worship schedule, a community center and a religious school. Services are scheduled on a monthly basis, so visit its Web site for details. Wedding and baptism guidelines, church events and charity opportunities are also posted online.
The First Baptist Church of Wallingford offers worship services at 10 a.m. Sundays. It also has an "Hour of Power Educational Session" for all ages. High school and college youth groups meet at 4 p.m. Sundays and junior high youth groups meet at 11:30 a.m.
The congregation of this multigenerational United Church of Christ prides itself on helping the less fortunate in the community and worldwide and is very active in church groups and charities. The pastor and members follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and welcome those of all faiths and denominations, wherever they are in their spiritual journey.
The First Lutheran Church in downtown Greenwich is a member congregation of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
Services are held year-round at 10:30am on Sundays. The congregation meets for coffee after the service, and adults are then invited to attend Bible Study. Sunday School for children is held at 9:30am before worship.
The church's parish hall can accommodate up to 100 people, and a few smaller classrooms are available for use by community groups.
The three services at Christ Episcopal Church offer worship that runs the gamut from traditional to radical. The church school is excellent and meets the needs of children from ages 3 to 15. The congregation reaches out to others both locally and around the world, while the church's home base is one of the most beautiful sanctuaries in Connecticut.
St. Patrick Church's parish mission statement is: "Called together by God to experience Jesus in His Word, in the Sacraments of the Church and in each other. We are committed to embrace all God's people as witnesses of God's mercy." The clergy is led by Rev. Water Nagle and the congregation has more than 1,400 household members.
Sacred Heart Parish includes the Convent of the Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement, home to three nuns who are active in the community. The parish is a part of the Diocese of Bridgeport.
Mass is held Friday mornings at 7am, Saturday afternoons at 4pm and 5:30pm, and Sunday mornings at 7:30am, 9:30am and 11:30am.
Confessions are given on Saturday at 3:30pm to 4pm and at 5pm to 5:30 pm.
The church's School Hall is home to Pat-a-Cake Playschool. The space can accommodate up to 100 people and is available to parishioners for rental.
Saint Matthew's Episcopal Church offers a wide variety of activities for members of its congregation. Events include secular activities such as auctions, clambakes, picnics, and spiritual activities like prayer meetings and celebration of the holy Eucharist (twice on Sundays, once on Wednesdays).
St. Matthew's is involved with several charities, including the Norwalk Emergency Shelter and the Edwards Chest, which collects food and other items for the poor; the Bishop's Fund, which collects money for children at risk; and Bread & Roses, a charity for victims of AIDS.
As a community, St. Matthew's is devoted to the arts, especially music, which is used as an inspiration for faith. In addition to hosting regional and national artists (most recently the Manhattan Choral Ensemble), St. Matthew's itself has five choirs organized by age. Director of Music Rodney Ayers oversees these choral activities and maintains the two instruments most often used in St. Matthew's worship: a 1971 Helmut Wolff tracker organ and a restored Steinway grand piano dating back to 1929.
St. Matthew's is steeped in history and can trace its origins to 1802, the same year Wilton was incorporated. From 1864 to 1972, St. Matthew's was located in the Old Stone Church on Danbury Road (which now houses Wilton Baptist Church), but St. Matthew's had to move to its current location to accommodate a growing congregation.
St. Matthew's places an emphasis on religious education, with programs for children, adults, and especially teenagers. St. Matthew's shares this goal of religious education with the Wilton Presbyterian Church. The St. Matthew's Web site describes this partnership as a "legal and practical and spiritual joint venture," in which the two churches co-own property, operate under an umbrella budget, and are run by the same board of directors.
Key staff for the church includes "lay leadership" such as facilities coordinator Sandy Muschler and clergy such as rectors Mary Grace Williams and John A. Satula.
St. Matthew's welcomes newcomers, and can be contacted at 203-762-7400.