Home/Stay Informed/All Diocesan Articles

All Diocesan Articles

Current Articles | Archives | Search

Celebrate the Season: Festival of Lessons and Carols

Posted on December 19, 2024 in: News, Events, Around the Diocese, ADVENT

Celebrate the Season: Festival of Lessons and Carols

To Prepare Your Heart for the Coming of the Lord

You are warmly invited to the Festival of Lessons and Carols on December 22 at 7:30 PM at the Cathedral of Saint Patrick. This traditional service combines scripture readings that recount God’s plan of salvation—from humanity’s fall to the birth of Christ—with choral music, organ accompaniment, and carol singing by the assembly.

The evening will include performances by:

Norwich Diocesan Choir, featuring selections from Handel's Messiah.
Cathedral Choir, Bells of Saint Patrick, Schola, and St. Pat’s Singers, offering a variety of sacred music.

Our Cathedral lectors will proclaim the readings, and the service will close with a candlelit singing of Silent Night, creating a reflective and peaceful atmosphere.

This event is free to attend and will last about an hour and a half. Bring your loved ones to enjoy an evening of scripture, music, and community as we prepare our hearts for Christmas!

Sunday, December 22, at 7:30 PM
Festival of Lessons and Carols

Cathedral of Saint Patrick, Norwich

Livestream will begin a 7:25PM for those unable to attend.
CLICK HERE

Most Viewed Articles of the Last 30 Days

Your Guide to Church Bazaar and Craft Fairs and Other Events

Posted on November 26, 2025 in: News, Events, Around the Diocese

20478

Your Guide to Church Bazaar and Craft Fairs and Other Events

Use the Handy List Below to See Where All the Best Church Bazaars and Craft Fairs are Being Held Throughout the Diocese. You Can Also Add Events to Your Google Calendar from Ours. Sunday, November 30 Wreath Making Event Our Lady of Lourdes, Hampton • 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM All materials supplied to create your own unique wreath. Not feeling creative? Order one already made. Contact Gloria Burell at (860) 445-9350. Saturday, December 6 Holly Berry Christmas Craft Fair St. Philip Parish Center, Ashford &bul...

Read More

Calendar of Parish Events from Around the Diocese

Posted on November 21, 2025 in: Around the Diocese

6241

Calendar of Parish Events from Around the Diocese

Do you have an upcoming parish or school event that would be of interest to others in the Diocese? These folks do! Around the Diocese Submissions Please provide your event details to your parish administrator for submission. Email submissions are NOT accepted. Descriptions are limited to 30 words. Parish Admin Log-In Calendar of Events Here's what's happening Around the Diocese! Upcoming Parish Events Classes & Formation Wednesday, September 3 – May 13 Certificate P...

Read More

Living the Longing: Finding God in the Quiet of Advent- A Reflection by Bishop Reidy

Posted on November 20, 2025 in: News, Reflections

749

Living the Longing: Finding God in the Quiet of Advent- A Reflection by Bishop Reidy

I love the Advent Season. I love it not just for what it leads to – the joyful celebration of Christ’s birth at Bethlehem. I love Advent for itself: a season of longing, expectation, and hope. I think that, in a way, the entirety of life is like Advent. There is, deep within us, a longing for God and, as Saint Augustine says, our hearts are restless until they rest in God. That longing and restlessness will not be entirely satisfied until we reach Heaven. Until then, in this life, many things compete for our attention. Those things variously attract us, distr...

Read More

Renew Your Heart: Virtual Advent Mission 2025

Posted on November 20, 2025 in: News, ADVENT

472

Renew Your Heart: Virtual Advent Mission 2025

In our very busy world, it’s easy to feel stretched thin or spiritually scattered. This Advent, come renew your heart and rediscover the gifts God longs to give you. Join us for a three-week Virtual Advent Mission as we reflect on how Patience, Perseverance, and Peace can take root in our lives through prayer and grace. Join us on Tuesdays: December 2, 9, & 16 from 7PM – 8PM. To register contact Alvania at atejada@norwichdiocese.net or 860-848-2237 ext. 304. Come prepare your heart for Christ this Advent season. ...

Read More

Gratitude Should Accompany Your Turkey and Pie, Pope Says

Posted on November 26, 2025 in: News

444

Gratitude Should Accompany Your Turkey and Pie, Pope Says

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Thanksgiving is a "beautiful feast" that reminds everyone to be grateful for the gifts they have been given, Pope Leo XIV said. "Say thank you to someone," the pope suggested two days before the U.S. holiday when he met reporters outside his residence in Castel Gandolfo before returning to the Vatican after a day off. Pope Leo, the first U.S.-born pope, was scheduled to spend his Thanksgiving Nov. 27 in Ankara and Istanbul, Turkey, the first stops on his first foreign trip as pope. A reporter asked the pope what he was than...

Read More

Finding the Gospel in our Holiday Movies

Posted on November 26, 2025 in: ADVENT

424

Finding the Gospel in our Holiday Movies

Each Advent, as we prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ, we’re drawn to the warmth of familiar Christmas stories. We dust off old DVDs, queue up streaming favorites, and settle in with cocoa, popcorn,and twinkling lights — yet beneath the nostalgia, many of these films quietly proclaim the Gospel. I’ve written before about "It’s a Wonderful Life" (Volume 35 Number 1) and its unmistakable parallels with the Good News: sacrifice, redemption, community, and the reminder that every life touches countless others. But it isn’t...

Read More