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In this Issue1 Message from the Bishop2 Feasts of the Assumption and St. John Vianney3 Carlo Acutis -1st Millennial Saint3 Pier Giorgio Frassati - Also to be Canonized4 Thousands Attend Eucharistic Procession III5 Jubilee Year Lourdes Retreat5 St. Luke Guild for Healthcare Workers6. Diocesan Events7 Podcasts and LecturesThe One is our commitment to renew the ecclesialculture of our Church and to bring everybeliever closer to the Lord Jesus. The Monthly Bulletinhighlights diocesanevents and initiativesrelated to The One.EventsandInitiativesJuly/August 2025Watch July/AugustMessage fromBishop Frank Caggiano Message
Celebrated each year on August 15, the Feast of theAssumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a holy day ofobligation. It commemorates the Church’s ancientbelief—proclaimed as dogma by Pope Pius XII in 1950—that Mary was assumed body and soul into heaven atthe end of her earthly life.The feast has deep roots in Christian tradition. Theearly Church celebrations in Jerusalem focused onMary's death and empty tomb, eventually spreadingthroughout the East and West. The Assumptionreminds us that the flesh which bore Christ was notsubject to decay, and it reveals our own future destiny:the resurrection of the dead and our call to eternal lifewith God.The Assumption proclaims Mary’s share in her Son’sResurrection and points to the hope promised to allthe faithful. As the Church’s prayer says, “May we seeheaven as our final goal and come to share her glory.”Diocese of Bridgeport | July/August 2025 Monthly Bulletin | 2Encounter Christ Share With Your CommunityThe Feast of the Assumption, August 15, 2025: Holy Day of HopeSt. John Vianney, Patron of Diocesan Priests, August 4, 2025St. John Vianney, born amid France’s revolutionary turmoil,overcame illiteracy, war conscription, and academic struggleto become Ars’ humble pastor. His zealous prayer, fasting,confession ministry, and simple preaching convertedhundreds of thousands, inspiring pilgrimage. Thousands traveled each year to Ars in the mid 1800s toattend his Masses and receive the Sacrament of Reconciliationfrom him. A new railroad was constructed to convey thesteady flow of people to his remote village. Canonized for hisheroic virtue, he is celebrated as the universal patron of parishpriests throughout the whole world today.Perhaps you or someone you know may be called to thepriesthood. Click here to learn more about that vocation.
Encounter/Accompaniment In Christ Share With Your CommunityBlessed Carlo Acutis—a tech-savvy teenager with a deeplove for the Eucharist—will be canonized on September 7,2025. Born in London in 1991 and raised in Milan, Carlo liveda remarkably holy life while embracing the normal joys ofyouth. He played video games, loved computers, and madehis friends laugh, but what set him apart was his daily Massattendance, devotion to Eucharistic Adoration, and a heartfull of charity. At age 14, he created a website catalogingEucharistic miracles around the world, hoping to leadothers closer to Jesus. Click here to sign up for a weeklyemail on these Eucharistic miracles.Carlo’s faith touched those around him—friends, teachers,even the family’s household staff—several of whomconverted to Catholicism through his gentle witness.Diagnosed with leukemia at age 15, he accepted his illnesswith courage and offered his suffering for the pope and theChurch. His final words to his mother expressed deeppeace: “Death is the passage to eternal life.” Carlo’s life proves that sanctity is possible in today’s world—online and offline—and that even ordinary teenagers canbecome extraordinary saints. Pier Giorgio Frassati to Be CanonizedAlongside Carlo Acutis Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, known as the “Man of theEight Beatitudes,” will also be canonized on September7, 2025, during the Jubilee Year by Pope Leo XIV. A layDominican and passionate advocate for the poor,Frassati was known for his deep charity, social activism,and joyful faith. Born in 1901 in Turin, he died at just 24,having devoted his short life to helping the sick andmarginalized. An avid mountaineer, he often combinedphysical challenge with spiritual reflection. Beatified in1990 by Pope John Paul II, Frassati is a patron of youthand World Youth Day.Carlo Acutis, 1991 - 2006On Oct. 3, 2025, Bishop Caggiano willcelebrate a Mass of Dedication at 7:30 p.m. for a Carlo Acutis Shrine located at the Cathedral. Diocese of Bridgeport | July/August 2025 Monthly Bulletin | 3Carlo Acutis, First Millennial Saint, To Be Canonized Sept. 7, 2025Pier Giorgio Frassati, 1901 - 1925
Thousands Participate in Eucharistic Procession III Accompaniment in Christ Share With Your CommunityDiocese of Bridgeport | July/August 2025 Monthly Bulletin | 4Eucharistic Procession III—the Diocese ofBridgeport’s five-day pilgrimage of the BlessedSacrament—concluded on June 12 with ajubilant Benediction at St. Joseph Church,Norwalk, sealing an unforgettable publicwitness of unity and devotion to Jesus in theBlessed Sacrament. Beginning at St. Lawrence in Shelton, on June8, the monstrance visited nineteen scheduledstations across Monroe, Trumbull, Stratford,Norwalk, Fairfield, Bridgeport, Ridgefield andStamford before its final resting altar.Along the route, thousands of parishioners,schoolchildren, clergy and religious linedsidewalks, prayed the Rosary and sangEucharistic hymns, transforming streets intosacred corridors of praise. Police escorts,Knights of Columbus honor guards, anddedicated youth-ministry volunteers ensuredsafe passage for Christ present in themonstrance and for the faithful whoaccompanied Him. Bishop Frank J. Caggiano, who presided at theclosing liturgy, hailed the event as “a livingcatechesis on the Real Presence.” Planning for more diocesan Eucharisticprograms is already underway, with organizerscollecting testimonies and photographs thatcapture this year’s outpouring of Eucharisticjoy.
Lourdes Retreat Offers a Day of Healing and Hope in StamfordAccompaniment in Christ Share With Your CommunityOn Sunday, September 14, 2025, St. Mary’s Catholic Church inStamford will host the Lourdes Retreat, a special afternoon ofprayer, healing, and testimony beginning at 2:00 p.m. Theevent is free, with Bishop Frank J. Caggiano presiding and Fr.Gustavo Falla serving as host.The program includes a courageous survivor testimony,speakers from the Diocese’s Safe Environment Committee, aEucharistic blessing, candlelight Rosary, and distribution ofLourdes water. Refreshments will follow.For information or to register, contact Stefania Canneto at(203) 324-7321 or stefania.canneto@yahoo.com.All are welcome!VideoDiocese of Bridgeport | July/August 2025 Monthly Bulletin | 5St. Luke Guild for Healthcare WorkersThe St. Luke Guild for Healthcare Workers is anassociation and community of healthcare workerswithin the Diocese of Bridgeport, striving to live theirCatholic faith. They desire to grow in Christiandiscipleship through a process of encounter with ourLord, Jesus Christ and mutual accompaniment.The Guild hosts periodic “Prayerful Encounters”which are open to anyone connected to thehealthcare field as well as spiritual, social andformation gatherings for its inducted members.Interested in learning more about how to become a member? Click here. Guild member shares his experience. Watch
Upcoming Events Share With Your CommunityAdoration of the Blessed Sacrament 2025Ongoing — click here to find Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the Diocese. Join a St. Jerome Center Bible Study ProgramClick here to find out which parishes are participating in these bible studieswhich do not require registration or a weekly commitment.Diocese of Bridgeport | July/August 2025 Monthly Bulletin | 6Midsummer Night Soiree (Young Adult Event)Black tie optional (florals encouraged). Saturday, August 23, 2025, 6 to 11 pm, Oak Hill Mansion, 25 Francis St., Norwalk. For tickets, click here. 2025 Tota Pulchra (Our Lady) Conference with Bishop FrankCaggianoThis conference dedicated to Our Lady will take place Sunday, September 13,2025. The location and other details are still pending.2025 Lourdes Retreat with Bishop Frank CaggianoA Special Day of Healing and Hope. Sunday, September 14, 2025 at 2 pm. St.Mary’s Catholic Church, 566 Elm St., Stamford, CT. Click here to learn more. Fall Forum 2025 with Bishop Frank CaggianoBishop Caggiano is inviting all parish catechetical leaders to join him for aconversation, updates on initiatives, and more. Sept. 13, 2025 9 am to 12:30 pm.Location TBD. Click to register. Follow the Diocese of Bridgeport
Recent and Future Podcasts, Lectures from Bishop Frank Caggiano and othersShare With Your CommunityLet Me Be Frank Bishop Caggiano’s Recent PodcastsEucharistic Renewal: Bishop Caggiano’s Vision of the Future, June 12, 2025Let’s TalkThe Literary Catholic PodcastsWhat the Church Needs Now - Q & A w/Bishop Caggiano, June 4, 2025Seeing the Eternal in the Ordinary: Myles Connolly, Academy Award nominee & author of Mr.Blue. W/Dr. Stephen Mirarchi, Editor of the works of Miles Connolly (Cluny Classics) &Associate Professor at Benedictine College & Host William Baker, Producer of PBS seriesWisdom Keepers. (Coming soon)Diocese of Bridgeport | July/August 2025 Monthly Bulletin | 7The Bishop’s Lecture Series featuresleading national Catholic writers andspeakers who will offer their insights intorenewal through truth, beauty andgoodness as we seek to accompany all intheir journey of faith.Fr. Jeff Kirby, STD, is the Pastor of OurLady of Grace Parish in Indian Land, SC. Heis a moral theologian, Papal Missionary ofMercy, and an Adjunct Professor ofTheology at Belmont Abbey College. Fr.Kirby is sought after as a retreat leader andconference speaker. He is the author ofseveral books, including Sanctify Them inTruth: How the Church's Social DoctrineAddresses the Issues of Our Time.Bishop’s Lecture SeriesClick here to RSVPThe Next Lecture FeaturesFr. Jeff KirbySeptember 24, 2025 at 7 pmSt. Francis of Assisi Parish 35 Norfield RoadWeston, ConnecticutTopic: TBDExodus 90, Freedom, & Salvation w/Jamie Baxter, CEO of Exodus 90, June 25, 2025Secularism, Explaining the Trinity, & Pope Leo XIV w/Bishop Caggiano, July 2, 2026
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