ABOUT
The Guild of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus was founded on March 25th 2022 by Bishop Frank J. Caggiano of Bridgeport, CT. It is a Public Association of the Christian Faithful and a 501(c)(3) Corporation in the State of Connecticut. It exists to promote and foster Beauty in the Sacred Arts in the Diocese of Bridgeport.
If the Diocese is thought of as a body, with the Parishes as its organs, then the Guild is like its nervous system, sharing ideas and giving inspiration to all those seeking a deeper relationship with the Lord through Beauty.
Our mission is not to rival Parish life, but to enhance and support it, underpinning best practice using our expertise in the Sacred Arts, which can sometimes seem daunting. There is no rulebook for the Arts, because they express what is often impossible to explain in mere words, but there certainly are rules, which are written into the fabric of Creation by God Himself.
These rules need to be discerned and distilled so they can be applied in a given situation, but the best way to do this is by practical example, as opposed to lectures or theories: as Pope Francis says, “realities are greater than ideas” (EG 231). The human heart desires order and the more Sacred Art expresses order, the more clearly it expresses the mind of the Creator.
By decree of March 25th the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Georgetown, CT was designated as an ‘Oratory’. This status means it has a special relationship to the Diocesan Bishop, whilst at the same time maintaining for future generations the place our 140-year old worshiping community has called home.
In a way, this new status is coming full circle to when the Mission was first established in the 1870s. Sacred Heart is the Mother Church of both Ridgefield and Redding and has always been outward-looking and evangelistic in its character. Led by a Rector and Board of Directors, the Guild employs a dedicated staff to look after the day-to-day running of the Sacred Heart campus and the needs of the Guild throughout the Diocese.
OUR PEOPLE
Fr. Michael Clark
Rector
Fr. Clark is the founding Rector of the Guild and is also the Rector of the Georgetown Oratory. Father was ordained in 2019 after studies in Rome at the Venerable English College. He is a priest of the Diocese of Bridgeport and is British by birth. He is also an artist and musician, having sung professionally in England since the age of 7. He is passionate about evangelization, particularly working with young people and young adults to provide an authentic experience of the Risen Lord.
Jeffrey Majoris
Office Manager
Jeff is the recently appointed Office Manager and oversee day to day operations at the Oratory church. He studied Biology and Human Communication and took a position as a Hearing Instrument Specialist before going on to manage the practice. After 9 years in healthcare, God presented the opportunity to work with the Guild in a management position.
Jeff has been involved with the Guild since it’s inauguration and is thrilled to be able to help with its grown and spreading the mission Bishop Caggiano has set forth throughout the diocese.
Debra Burke
Business Manager
Debra Burke is our newly appointed Business Manager, coordinating the daily operations of the Sacred Heart Campus. In addition, she also handles the accounting and financial reporting for the Guild. Debbie lives in Weston with her husband Ed. They have two children, Jenny and Ryan.
Debbie is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in Connecticut. She earned her undergraduate degree from Boston College and her Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from The University of Connecticut. She worked in the financial sector for many years, both in corporate and public accounting, before transitioning to work within the Diocese of Bridgeport.
Sacred Heart Church has been ‘home’ to her for many years, as a parishioner and also as a member of the Staff. Having previously served as a member of the Finance Committee at Sacred Heart Church, she was assigned the role of Accountant and Office Manager for them in 2019. When Sacred Heart Church and St. Patrick’s Church merged into the newly formed Sacred Heart- St. Patrick Parish, she was involved in the transition and assisted on many levels.
When the position arose to join the Guild, she welcomed the opportunity to work with Fr. Clark and his team. Her experience with daily parish operations and procedures will assist the Guild as it continues to bring programs to inspire and to lead to an encounter with God. For Debbie, it is very exciting to be involved with this initiative to share the Sacred Arts with others at this beautiful location.
Mike Falbo
Sacristan and Master of Ceremonies
Having worked in the Diocese of Bridgeport for 7 years as a Youth Minister running parish youth groups, teaching Confirmation preparation, and running leadership programs and retreats, Mike has recently worked as a Pastoral Assistant & Master of Ceremonies. In August of 2019, he was conferred in the Minor Orders of the Ministry of a Duly Instituted Acolyte, serving as one of the Master of Ceremonies to the Bishop. Mike’s work for the Guild will include Sacristan and Master of Ceremonies for Masses at the Oratory. As Sacristan, he will be responsible for taking care of the sacristy, the church, and all of its sacred vestments, vessels, books, and other items. As Master of Ceremonies, Mike will organize and train servers and will assist the Celebrant at Mass.
From Mike’s perspective, the Guild provides an opportunity for the people of God to come into a deeper encounter with Christ through the beauty of the Catholic faith expressed in sacred liturgy, music, and art. From providing hospitality which creates a sense of family in the Guild community, to training young men for service at the altar, to creating beautiful music and celebrating breath-taking liturgies, each element of the Guild brings the people of God to a deeper love of God. Every aspect of the Guild allows the body of Christ (the faithful) to have an intimate encounter with God (already in their hearts), which sets each soul ablaze in deeper devotion to the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to each other.
Marge Hansen
Facilities Manager
Marge is the Chair of the St. Benedict Sodality for Hospitality and has recently been appointed Facilities Manager, overseeing the buildings on the Sacred Heart Campus. She is humbled by the responsibility but grateful for the opportunity to serve. Born and raised on Staten Island, she came to Fairfield County, CT, by way of New Jersey and currently resides with her daughter and her daughter’s husband and five grandchildren. Marge knows that a grandmother’s job description includes cooking for and ensuring the comfort of family and guests. Expanding her “family” to include the members of and visitors to the Oratory of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus has been a great blessing. According to Marge, “I know I speak for every member of the St Benedict / St. Edith Hospitality Sodality when I tell others of our joy! As children, we were told, “A guest in the home is Christ in the home,” and there is no better personal motto for the members of the Hospitality apostolate than this, to see in one another the Face of Christ, and no better description of the mission of the Guild than Cor ad Cor.”
Ewa Krepsztul
Graphic Artist
Ewa is the Guild’s Graphic Artist, who is developing a visual identity for the Guild by creating the logo, website, brochures, flyers and other brand materials. She lives in Redding, CT with her husband, Paul and their children, Jan and Julia. In her free time, she loves to illustrate while listening to her beloved Scandinavian composers.
Born in Poznan, Poland, Ewa arrived in the United States in 1996. Ewa began her career at IBM, where she developed acclaimed website designs, among them the awarded Sydney Olympics site. From 2011 and until 2022, Ewa was an Art Director for the Tri-State’s leading food distribution company. She initiated and developed the company’s complete brand image including the logo designs, annual reports, food catalogs, calendars, product labels, and direct marketing campaigns. During her fulfilling graphic career, she developed numerous marketing campaigns for medical companies, private schools, churches, and nonprofit charitable organizations. As a freelancer, she designed several book covers and layouts, in the genres of spirituality, historical novels, educational materials and illustrated children’s books. She worked with various publishers from In the Arms of Mary Foundation to Wiley Publishing House.
This past winter when Ewa read the article containing Bishop Caggiano’s vision for the Guild, she knew that he was speaking her heart language. She says that God is the Greatest Artist because God is Beauty itself. As she came to know more about the Guild and heard Fr. Michael Clark’s vision for the Guild, Ewa knew she had received a treasure from God, a tremendous gift, to be able to use her love of art, her gifts, and talents for the glory of God.
ENGAGE
The Guild exists for you to encounter Christ. Our work consists of offering invitations to “come and see” (Jn 1: 39, 46) both at home in Georgetown, CT and ‘on the road’ in parishes throughout the Diocese.
Like a honeycomb, the Guild is composed of groups of the Faithful, called Sodalities, which organize its activity. Each Sodality is named for a Patron Saint, and is entrusted with one, or more, of our missions, under the four foundational pillars of Sacred Art, Sacred Architecture, Sacred Music and Literature. These missions are called Apostolates and vary, in size and shape, from ongoing commitments to one-off events.
Central to the Guild’s identity is its chief Apostolate: care for the Oratory of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on our campus in Georgetown, CT. The life of Oratory is the spiritual heart of the Guild, and, in every detail, it expresses the urgency of beauty. Our historic Church is open from dawn until dusk every day, providing a welcome refuge from the busy world and a haven of peace and tranquility for prayer for allcomers.
Hospitality is also vital to our mission and, in Bishop Caggiano’s words, expresses the “gentility of Christ’s invitation.” Wherever you meet the Guild, a friendly word, a cup of coffee, or even some other treat is never far away. Our offices are open Monday to Friday, from 9 AM until 1 PM and a ‘Convivium’ of refreshments is available after the Sunday and Wednesday High Masses in the Pryor-Hubbard Hall on campus.
Sodality of St. Maximilian Kolbe
Exists to promote excellence in contemporary music. Taking Christian music from a wide variety of sources and exploring how to deploy this vibrant and attractive genre in a Catholic context. The Sodality runs a monthly Praise & Worship night called Heart to Heart and meets in smaller groups for prayer and praise in people’s homes.
Sodality of St. Luke
A conference of Catholic artists working in many different media which meets together once a month for fellowship, support and individual projects. This Sodality seeks to stimulate the production of faithful Art and to deepen knowledge and understanding of Art History. This Sodality also engages in practical education, supporting and advising the monthly Kids’ Art School on campus.
Sodality of St. Benedict
St. Benedict of Nursia reminded his monks to “make hospitality their special care” and to “welcome guests as Christs”. Part of the Guild’s mission is to foster an authentic culture of welcome, which involves caring for body and soul. This Sodality works tirelessly to cater for the weekly Conviviums and is called upon to organize and execute special events.
Sodality of St. Cecilia
A group of Catholic musicians who come together to support and promote Gregorian Chant and Sacred Polyphony, including overseeing the monthly Kid’s Chant School at the Oratory.
Sodality of St. Fiacre
The sodality creates both floral arrangements and decorations for the interior of the Sacred Heart Oratory as well as tends to the beautiful gardens and landscaping through the campus. The work of the sodality provides visitors the opportunity to be lifted up through the beauty of God’s creation along with providing a fitting sacrifice of fresh cut flowers for each Mass. As the patron saint of gardeners, St. Fiacre is in residence and has been for many years at Sacred Heart Oratory as his statue can be seen on the wall to the right of the sanctuary.