Sometimes life has a way of surprising us and making us wonder what God has planned for us. If we rely on our faith to get through those difficult times, amazing things can happen. In August, our beloved fourth grade teacher, Kathleen O’Brien, was called by God to her eternal rest. All at St. John School in Old Saybrook were shocked and saddened. While overwhelmed by her loss, the school still had to find a new teacher for the fourth grade. In faith we know that God works in mysterious ways. At the same time this was happening at SJS, another amazing teacher had ju...

Read More

Norwich, Catholic

The Veil Removed is a moving 5 minute video that reveals the coming together of heaven and earth at Mass, as seen by saints and mystics, revealed by scripture and in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.   Enjoy and share. What love is there like to that of Jesus Christ? He chose for the institution of the Eucharist the eve of the day on which He was to be put to death! Men weave the darkest plots against Him, and He thinks only what is the most precious gift He can give them! They think only of lifting Him on an infamous cross to die. He thinks only of ...

Read More

Mass, Catholic

LENTEN MISSION All are invited to join professional performer VaILimar Jansen for a two-night Lenten Mission with the theme Unplug.  Both evenings will be focused on our call, role and mission as followers of Christ.  Ms. Jansen uses song, dramatization and reflection to engage the audience.  ValLimar tours internationally as an inspirational speaker, author, storyteller, psalmist and singer throughout the United States, Europe, Israel and the Far East.  Presentations will be held at St. John Church, 5 St. John’s Court, Cromwell, on Sunday...

Read More

Catholic News Agency Basketball superstar Kobe Bryant died Sunday in a helicopter crash in Southern California, along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna. Bryant, the father of four, was Catholic. In all nine people were killed in the Jan. 26 crash. Bryant, 41, is widely considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He retired in 2016 after a 20 year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, in which the shooting guard won five NBA championships, a league MVP award, two scoring championships, and myriad other distinctions. Bryant was raised in a ...

Read More

Catholic

My Dear Friends, On a personal level, this January is special to me, as I experience 2 milestones: my 40th year in the field of education, and my 25th year in Catholic school administration. God has truly blessed me every step of the way and it is my pleasure to serve the Diocese of Norwich in our very important mission of providing a solid academic education in an atmosphere of faith and in the service of the Gospel of Our Lord, Jesus. The National Catholic Education Association has deemed January 27- February 2 as the traditional Catholic Schools Week. In our dio...

Read More

Norwich, Catholic

8th Graders at Groton School earn awards The Spellman Council 6107, Knights of Columbus, sponsored their annual essay contest for all Catholic students in grades 8 through 12 in the Diocese of Norwich.  This year’s theme was “Charity is the theological virtue which we love God above all things for His own sake and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.” The winners in the 8th grade category are:   1st Place: Eamonn Pelletier 2nd Place: A tie between Claire Fenaughty and Yailanis Gutierrez 3rd Place: Madilyn Tomasweski ...

Read More

Norwich, Catholic, Heart

I believe God’s greatest gift to us is His love, which is given to us unconditionally. I am truly thankful for God’s gift of love, freely given, because I know if I had to earn His love, I would be in trouble more often than not. St. Matthew (22:37-39) reminds us of Christ’s command to us, “’You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. The second is ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” It is reassuring to know that man...

Read More

Each year, the members of our diocesan family come together to support the Annual Catholic Appeal as best they can, by donating their hard-earned money throughout the year. With the close of 2019, we are happy to report that we have received a total of $2,522,300.25 in gifts and pledges. While we are $288,699.75 shy of our total, we are extremely grateful to those who recognize the invaluable services that our ACA supported ministries provide to all of us in the diocese. Whether it be to help to pay the tuition of our seminarians, to fund catechetical programs for our...

Read More

Catholic

Father Gregory Galvin, Director of Priestly Vocations Hallelujah to our newborn King, Christ the Lord! My hope is that you experienced a merry Christmas filled with many blessings of joy, peace, faith and divine love! It’s amazing how quickly Advent and Christmas came and went. Who could ever imagine that God would save His own creation, humankind, by lovingly sending His Son into the world to lift us out of sin and bring us God’s gift of divine mercy? That the Word of God, obediently and willingly, would allow Himself to come to us in the person of a b...

Read More

Vocations, Norwich, Catholic

The Presidential Search Committee has recently posted criteria that they are seeking in the next leader of Mercy High School, a Christ-centered Catholic diocesan college preparatory high school for young women, located in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1963, Mercy is a highly rated, private high school committed to providing a challenging educational experience in a safe and nurturing environment, as well as to exemplifying Catholic values and the mission of the Mercy Education System of the Americas (MESA). Mercy aims to provide a learning environment that fosters ...

Read More