Home/Stay Informed/All Diocesan Articles

All Diocesan Articles

Current Articles | Archives | Search

UConn Catholic Center Students Support Veterans in Need

Posted on April 09, 2025 in: News

UConn Catholic Center Students Support Veterans in Need

UConn students from the Catholic Center @ Storrs had a successful donation drive in support of “Backpacks for Life” on Saturday, April 5th. Ava Abruzzese, UConn Junior, organized the event and would like to thank everyone who supported it. She welcomed volunteers from UConn as well as Little Sisters of the Poor from Enfield to help sort and put together the backpacks.

BFL distributes military-grade backpacks filled with daily essential items to help homeless and at-risk veterans. A backpack is like a home to many veterans and these backpacks are a symbol of hope and reassurance that they are not alone on their path toward self-sufficiency.

Nearly 1,000 daily essential items were collected on Saturday and sorted and then put into gallon size storage bags to fill 40 backpacks. These backpacks will then be distributed to Veteran Service Organizations in the CT who directly support the under-served veteran community.

Monetary donations were also generously made to help offset the cost of the backpacks.

By Jamie DePaola
USMC Veteran, BFL Program Manager

Most Viewed Articles of the Last 30 Days

Former Parishioner of Bishop Reidy Moves Closer to Sainthood

Posted on November 13, 2025 in: News, ProLife

682

Former Parishioner of Bishop Reidy Moves Closer to Sainthood

A beloved Worcester “Block Mom,” a Harvard-educated convert, and one of the most compelling pro-life voices of her generation — could she also be a future saint? The Vatican has now approved the next step in the cause of Ruth Pakaluk, a former parishioner of Bishop Richard F. Reidy when he served as rector of the Cathedral of St. Paul in Worcester. In this article by Matt McDonald for the National Catholic Register, you’ll discover how her remarkable journey from atheism to Catholicism, her tireless pro-life witness, and her heroic serenity in suffer...

Read More

Connecticut Catholic Public Affairs Conference Releases 2025 Annual Abortion Report

Posted on November 10, 2025 in: News

510

Connecticut Catholic Public Affairs Conference Releases 2025 Annual Abortion Report

The Connecticut Catholic Public Affairs Conference (CTCPAC)— the public policy office of Connecticut’s Catholic bishops— serves as the Church’s voice on issues of life, justice, and moral concern at the state Capitol. Each year, the Conference publishes its Annual Abortion Report, compiling official data from the Connecticut Department of Public Health to provide a clear picture of abortion trends across the state. The newly released 2025 report reveals a sobering reality: abortion numbers in Connecticut have continued to rise sha...

Read More

U.S. Bishops to Consecrate Nation to Sacred Heart of Jesus

Posted on November 12, 2025 in: News

488

U.S. Bishops to Consecrate Nation to Sacred Heart of Jesus

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) approved the consecration of the nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 2026 to accompany the country’s 250th anniversary. At the USCCB Fall Plenary Assembly in Baltimore, bishops voted “to entrust our nation to the love and care of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.” Devoting the nation is an opportunity “to remind everyone of our task to serve our nation by perfecting the temporal order with the spirit of the Gospel as taught by the Second Vatican Council,” Bishop Kevin Rhoades of ...

Read More

Bishop Reidy on the Meaning Behind Catholic Schools Week

Posted on November 13, 2025 in: News, School News, Reflections

481

Bishop Reidy on the Meaning Behind Catholic Schools Week

Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord, Catholic Schools Week is a celebration which began in 1974. This is a yearly celebration of Catholic Education throughout the United States. The theme for National Catholic Schools Week for 2026 is: “Catholic Schools: United in Faith and Community.” Catholic Schools educate the whole person mind, body and soul. It is based on Pope Francis’s words, “Christ is alive and He wants you to be alive.” Catholic Schools Week is celebrated from January 25 - January 31, 2026. The companion to National Catholic ...

Read More

Pope Leo XIV Highlights Role of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Blessed Juan de Palafox in Mexico

Posted on November 10, 2025 in: News

316

Pope Leo XIV Highlights Role of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Blessed Juan de Palafox in Mexico

Blessed Juan de Palafox y Mendoza and Our Lady of Guadalupe. | Credit: Public domain Pope Leo XIV praised the missionary work of the Church in Mexico throughout history, inspired by the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the example of Blessed Juan de Palafox y Mendoza. In a message addressed to the participants of the 17th National Missionary Congress of Mexico, being held in Puebla Nov. 7–9, the Holy Father noted that the greatest privilege and duty of missionaries is “to bring Christ to the heart of every person.” Taking a closer lo...

Read More

Sharing Christmas Hope: A Diocesan Effort to Lift Spirits This Season

Posted on November 14, 2025 in: News

185

Sharing Christmas Hope: A Diocesan Effort to Lift Spirits This Season

As the Advent season approaches and our hearts turn toward the light of Christ, the Diocesan Evangelization and Discipleship team is inviting the faithful to take part in a simple yet meaningful act of charity. This year, the team is collecting unused Christmas cards that will be lovingly written out by the youth of our diocese and delivered to the patrons of St. Vincent de Paul Place, Norwich. It is a small gesture with the power to bring comfort, dignity, and joy to those who may be struggling during the holidays. Each card becomes more than a greeting— it bec...

Read More