Home/Stay Informed/All Diocesan Articles

All Diocesan Articles

Current Articles | Archives | Search

Advent Resources to Help You Prepare for Christmas

Posted on December 05, 2019 in: News, Advent

Advent Resources to Help You Prepare for Christmas

“Beloved, now is the acceptable time spoken of by the Spirit, the day of salvation, peace and reconciliation: the great season of Advent. This is the time eagerly awaited by the patriarchs and prophets, the time that holy Simeon rejoiced to see.”
- St. Charles Borromeo

During the four weeks of Advent, we prepare for the celebration of Christ’s birth through prayer and reflection. We contemplate the First Coming of Jesus as Savior, and anticipate His promised Second Coming. And amid the flurry of Christmas preparations, we look for practical ways to observe the holiness of the season in our everyday lives.

To help with you with this preparation we have gathered various Advent resources into one convenient location. There you will find Pope Francis's apostolic letter, Admirabile signum, on the meaning and importance of nativity scenes,a blessing prayer for an advent wreath or manger, an Advent Calendar, and weekly videos and reflections from ministry staff and clergy of the Diocese of Norwich.

Are you looking to go deeper into your faith-if so, you will find Commentary on the Proper Prayers of Advent from the Roman Missal well as Lectio Divina for Advent.

This will also be where we post the photo gallery of Christmas Creches from around the diocese. You can read more on this here.

Bookmark the link below and visit it often as you prepare for the wonderful season of Christmas

NorwichDiocese.org/Advent

Most Viewed Articles of the Last 30 Days

Pope Proposes Lenten ‘Fast’ from Hurtful Words

Posted on February 17, 2026 in: News, Lent

868

Pope Proposes Lenten ‘Fast’ from Hurtful Words

Pope Leo XIV urges Catholics to listen more closely to God and others — and to “disarm” their language by fasting from words that wound — in his message for Lent 2026. In his message for Lent 2026, Pope Leo XIV urges Catholics to listen more closely to God and others — and to “disarm” their language by fasting from words that wound. The Lenten season begins Feb. 18 with Ash Wednesday. In the message, released Feb. 13, the pope offers a simple definition of Lent as a time when the Church “invites us to place ...

Read More

Welcome the Elect with a Diocesan Celebration of Faith--February 22, 2026

Posted on February 13, 2026 in: News, Events, Lent

498

Welcome the Elect with a Diocesan Celebration of Faith--February 22, 2026

Rite of Election All parishioners are invited to attend the Rite of Election on Sunday, February 22, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at the Cathedral of Saint Patrick in Norwich. The liturgy will be celebrated by The Most Reverend Richard F. Reidy, Bishop of Norwich. Your presence is a powerful sign of welcome and encouragement for those preparing to enter or be received into full communion with the Catholic Church. The Rite of Election, celebrated on the First Sunday of Lent, is one of the most moving moments in the Church’s year. During this liturgy, catechumens and candid...

Read More

Ash Wednesday at the Cathedral: “Return to Me… It Is Not Too Late.”

Posted on February 18, 2026 in: News, Reflections, Lent

466

Ash Wednesday at the Cathedral: “Return to Me… It Is Not Too Late.”

The Diocese of Norwich entered the holy season of Lent with the celebration of Ash Wednesday Mass at the Cathedral of Saint Patrick, with the Most Reverend Richard F. Reidy as celebrant, concelebrated by Father Ted Tumicki and Father Brian Romanowski. In his homily, Bishop Reidy set the tone for Lent with words that were both direct and deeply hopeful. He began by drawing attention to the opening call of the prophet Joel—words the Church places on our lips at the start of the season: “Return to me.” Bishop Reidy reminded the faithful that those words ar...

Read More

Registration Open for Women’s Conference: “Dinner with Jesus”

Posted on February 13, 2026 in: News, Events

398

Registration Open for Women’s Conference: “Dinner with Jesus”

Women of the Diocese are invited to an evening of faith, reflection, and fellowship at the upcoming Women’s Conference, “Dinner with Jesus”, on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, from 5:30–9:00 p.m. at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell. The conference will feature guest speaker Jennifer Hubbard, a Sandy Hook mother and author of Finding Sanctuary. Her memoir was named the Catholic Media Association’s #1 Memoir and offers a powerful witness of faith and hope. “Dinner with Jesus” is designed to give women an opportunity to step away from ...

Read More

Lifeboat: A Radical Reorientation for Catholic Survival

Posted on February 20, 2026 in: News, Events, Lent

338

Lifeboat: A Radical Reorientation for Catholic Survival

The Cathedral of St. Patrick’s in Norwich, CT is pleased to welcome Fr. Herald Joseph Brock, CFR (Franciscan Friars of the Renewal), for the 2026 Lenten Mission, on March 9–11, 2026, at 6:30 PM each evening. The Mission is open to all—please save the dates and help spread the word. A Lenten Mission is an invitation to “put out into the deep,” embrace deeper conversion, anchor ourselves more firmly in Christ, and rediscover our mission in Him. We look forward to gathering as a diocesan Church for these grace-filled evenings of clarity, e...

Read More

Bishop Reidy to Celebrate Mass for Life and Lead Bus Trip to Connecticut March for Life

Posted on February 17, 2026 in: News, Events, ProLife

188

Bishop Reidy to Celebrate Mass for Life and Lead Bus Trip to Connecticut March for Life

All are invited to take part in a day of prayer and public witness at the Connecticut March for Life on Wednesday, March 18. Mass for Life The day will begin with a Mass for Life at 8:30 a.m. celebrated by Bishop Richard F. Reidy at the Cathedral of St. Patrick, 213 Broadway, Norwich. Cathedral students will be attending, and all parishioners are encouraged to join them in praying for the dignity of every human life, from conception to natural death. Bus Trip and Schedule Following Mass, participants will depart at 9:30 a.m. on a deluxe DATTCO motorcoach for Har...

Read More