Kolkata, India (CNA) - Hundreds of Missionaries of Charity gathered at their headquarters on Monday to commemorate the birthday of the order’s founder, Mother Teresa. Archbishop Thomas D'Souza of Calcutta, whose birthday falls on the same day, celebrated Mass on Aug. 26 to recognize what would be the 109th birthday of Saint Mother Teresa. “It was a splendid celebration. The 109th anniversary of the birth of our beloved Saint Mother Teresa was a moment of thanksgiving through prayer and joy,” said Father Dominic Gomes, vicar general of the archdio...

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Saint, MOTHER TERESA, KOLKATA, INDIA, Charity

By Paulina Angulo The weather was perfect for the 89th Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 11, celebrated with the Saint Brendan the Navigator Community. The community, formed by four parishes -Saint Joseph Church and Saint Mary Star of the Sea Church in New London, Saint Paul Church in Waterford and Our Lady of Grace Church on Fishers Island is under the direction of their pastor, the Reverend Mark O’Donnell. Jubilant parishioners gathered at Saint Mary Star of the Sea Church to venerate Our Blessed Mother in a solemn Mass with the main...

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Archbishop Fulton Sheen, beloved American television catechist in the 1950s and 60s, has moved closer to becoming a saint. On July 12, Pope Francis approved a miracle attributed to the Archbishop, making his beatification possible. The Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints promulgated the decree approving Sheen’s miracle on July 6. According to the Catholic News Agency, the miracle involves the unexplained recovery of James Fulton Engstrom, born apparently stillborn in September 2010 to Bonnie and Travis Engstrom of the Peoria- area town of Goodfield. He sh...

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Archbishop Sheen, beatification, miracle

by Mary-Jo McLaughlin Is family prayer a part of your family’s life? I have vivid memories as a child kneeling beside my family as we prayed the Rosary. I would look out the window and see neighborhood children playing in their yards and I longed to be with them. Instead, I was cooped up inside participating in something that I saw as little more than a burdensome chore. When I was 11 years old, my mother died and family life as we knew it changed drastically. So many activities that we once did as a family were gone, the family rosary among them. It’s ...

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At the 2018 Connecticut Catholic Men’s Conference, the featured speaker was Bob Kroll of With All Your Heart Ministry (www.withallyourheart.org). Bob talked about the Father Wound and the struggle men have to overcome the hurts that our fathers leave in our lives. At the end of his presentation, he and the men prayed the Prayer for Inner Healing. That prayer led to deeper sharing among the men following the talk. This is the power and presence of the Holy Spirit that lives and moves among the men at the conference.   PRAYER FOR INNER HEALING Loving Fathe...

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2019, Catholic, Conference, Connecticut, Men's

By Suzanne Henderson The 2019 Annual Lay Carmelite Retreat was held at Enders Island in June. Forty-five retreatants from communities throughout Connecticut and New York enjoyed four conferences on the Psalms presented by Father Francis Amodio, Provincial Delegate for the Province of St. Elias in Middletown, New York.  “Jesus prayed the Psalms, and as a Church we pray the Psalms as we pray the Liturgy of the Hours. This is the prayer of the Church. The Psalms are written by and for the people of God,” stated Father Francis. As Carmelites, we are calle...

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Lay Carmelite Retreat

By Andrea Hoisl More than 100 young people from throughout the diocese traveled to New York July 19-21 to pray, worship and celebrate the gift of faith during the annual Steubenville NYC Youth Conference. The theme for the weekend was “Belong,” and youth from the diocese donned special T-shirts celebrating the theme.  During the first day of the retreat, MC Chris Padgett told hilarious stories about each of us belonging to Christ, and rapper Righteous B- Bob Lesnefsky, shared a moving story about himself and his son that highlighted the trust of a ...

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Catholic, Youth, Steubenville, NYC

“We are very grateful to you and your orchestra for sharing your music with us.”, said Bishop Michael R. Cote as he accepted a check from Maestro Toshiyuki Shimada, conductor and music director of the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra.  “While I am pleased to receive this check for St. Vincent DePaul Place in Norwich, please know that the bigger blessing is your music.  What it does for our people spiritually is such a great, great gift.” The $1362 check was the result of donations made by attendees of the ECSO Palm Sunday concert a...

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ECSO, Symphony, SVdPP, BishopCote

By Ryan Blessing Diocesan youth and chaperones attended a special Mass on July 19 at St. John Church in Old Saybrook, concelebrated by the Most Rev. Michael R. Cote, D.D., Bishop of Norwich, before traveling to the Steubenville NYC Youth Conference at St. John’s University in Jamaica, Queens for the weekend. Several priests heard confessions for the teens and adults before the Mass. The theme of the 2019 conference was "Belong," and referenced 1 John 3:1, “See what love the Father has bestowed on us, that we may be called children of Go...

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Norwich, Mass, Steubenville, East, Conference

Natural Family Planning Awareness Week July 21-27th The slogan for this year’s Natural Family Planning Awareness Week is: Love, Naturally! Cooperating with God’s design for married love.  Natural Family Planning is medically safe with no harmful side effects, is 99 percent effective at achieving or postponing pregnancy without the use of chemicals, is easy to learn and use, and is in keeping with God’s design for married love.  Read more about NFP at www.foryourmarriage.org or www.ccli.org. Or, for more information, call the Catholic Family Se...

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Marriage, NFP, Natural Family Planning