The Blessing of the Easter baskets is a long-cherished tradition in the Catholic faith. Rooted in religious significance and cultural heritage, it has come to hold profound meaning for people of all ethnic backgrounds. Its roots date back to the early 12th century history of Poland, and is now observed by many Eastern European countries, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Many Eastern Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians, including Czechs, Croatians, Hungarians, Lithuanians, Russians, Slovaks and Ukrainians, also participate in this holy ritual. On Holy...

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Each year on March 25, the Church pauses to celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation, the moment when heaven touched earth in a profound and life-changing way. The account of this sacred encounter is found in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 1:26–38). On this day, we recall the angel Gabriel’s visit to the Blessed Virgin Mary, bringing news that would alter the course of human history: she was chosen to bear the Son of God. Scripture tells us: “The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Jose...

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Led by our fearless leader, Bishop Richard Reidy, we embarked on Wednesday, March 18th from a beautiful Pro-Life Mass celebrated by our Good Sheperd at the Cathedral to Hartford to attend the Rally and March For Life, peacefully praying and demonstrating for the respect of all life and the protection of the unborn. Bishop Reidy gave the closing remarks, prayer and blessing. For many of us, with the Cathedral School children attending the morning kick-off Mass, their precious young voices praying the Our Father, touched our hearts and brought tears to many eyes, making fo...

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Jennifer Hubbard was the keynote speaker at this year’s Diocesan Women’s Conference. Jennifer lost her daughter in the Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown. One would think that her keynote would be inspiring while at the same time including sad recollections of a terrible low point in her life. But that could not be farther from the truth! Jennifer’s talk was filled of inspirational antidotes from her life as a cradle Catholic- sharing very frankly the ups and downs of her faith journey. She stressed that as a believer she can always count on two facts - ...

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“A Catholic cemetery is consecrated ground, an extension of the Church.” With this understanding, our cemeteries are not simply places of burial, but sacred spaces worthy of the same reverence we give within the walls of our churches. Just as we would carefully consider what is appropriate to place at the altar, so too should we be mindful of what is placed at a gravesite. The Norwich Diocesan Cemeteries serve families throughout the region and include: St. Mary and St. Joseph Cemeteries on Boswell Avenue in Norwich; Sacred Heart Cemeteries in Norwich and Wau...

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