Young adults ages 18 to 39 are invited to a day of prayer, fellowship, and renewal on Saturday, January 31, 2026, at Saint Michael the Archangel Church, 60 Liberty Street, Pawcatuck. Inspired by the witness of the newly canonized Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati, the retreat will explore a central question: How can young adults encounter the Eucharist through friendships? Retreat Schedule 9:30 a.m. Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (Celebrant: Fr. Jeffrey Ellis, Vocation Director) Talk 1: Ethan Roberts, UConn FOCUS Missionary Small-group discussion following the first talk...

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The Knights of Columbus held an Exemplification of the Fourth Degree on Sunday, January 11, 2026, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Norwich, marking a significant moment in the life of the Order and the Diocese. The Fourth Degree, the highest degree within the Knights of Columbus, emphasizes the principle of Patriotism and calls members to live their Catholic faith in faithful service to God, country, and community. The day began with Mass at 10:30 a.m., which was celebrated at the cathedral and offered in prayer for the candidates and their families. Following Mass...

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On Thursday, January 15, 2026, St. Vincent de Paul Middletown celebrated a major milestone with the groundbreaking of St. Vincent’s Commons at 12 Liberty Street in Middletown—a visible sign that the mission is moving forward, not just in words, but in bricks and mortar. The ceremony brought together supporters, community partners, and guests for an upbeat, hope-filled moment: prayers offered, plans shared, and then the symbolic “shovels in the ground” that officially marked the start of what will become St. Vincent’s Commons. Executive Di...

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There are moments in life when loss arrives quietly and seems to dissolve into the folds of ordinary days, leaving behind a hollow ache and the sense that something precious slipped through your hands before the world ever had the chance to know it. Grief like this settles in the hidden places of the heart, searching for somewhere to land, somewhere to breathe, somewhere to be held with the gentleness it deserves. For our family, one of those moments came in July of 2023. We experienced a traumatic miscarriage, a sorrow we carried mostly in silence because that is so oft...

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV blessed two lambs in the Urban VIII Chapel at the Vatican Jan. 21, the feast of St. Agnes, a Roman martyr who is often depicted with a lamb. Agnes also is a derivative of the Latin word for lamb, "agnus." The lambs are raised by Trappist monks outside Rome, and they are bound and placed in baskets to prevent them from running away during the blessing. They are decorated with red and white flowers and blessed in a formal ceremony at the Basilica of St. Agnes and by the pope at the Vatican.  Benedictine nuns at the Monas...

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