By Mary Ellen Mahoney The Red Lion Hotel in Cromwell was the site of this year’s Annual Catholic Appeal Ministry Fair on Sunday, April 7. Twenty-two of the ministries of the Diocese of Norwich were represented by their directors and staff who manned booths showcasing the good works being done by each ministry within our communities. This year, the ministry fair was “open house” style with an expanded continental breakfast being served. It was hoped that by encouraging people to stop in any time between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., more people would attend the ...

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On April 27, an ambitious group of 25 volunteers with St. Vincent de Paul Place spent two hours cleaning the streets around Cliff, Oak, Park and Roath Streets in Norwich. Three large trucks and a trailer were filled to the brim with old mattresses, furniture and debris which topped our biggest weight collection last month (6,500 pounds) with a whopping 6,600 pounds this month. It is amazing to see what can be done in a two-hour period of time with a dedicated group of volunteers. Each month, new people join the efforts. Some volunteers have attended most if not a...

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May Crowning May is the month of Mary.  It is also the month we celebrate Mother’s Day.  This year Mother's Day was extra special as the First Holy Communion class of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church in Baltic participated in the Crowning of the Virgin Mary statue prior to the 10:00a Mass.   The students, who received First Holy Communion on May 11th, processed down the aisle each carrying a red rose. The roses were placed in a vase which was then placed in front of a statue of the blessed Mother. Throughout the month of Ma...

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May crowning

Pope Francis has issued new Vatican laws on how Catholic clergy around the world will handle reported cases of sexual abuse. The new rules, released May 9, are the result of a February summit on sex abuse, in which heads of bishops’ conferences from around the world met at the Vatican. The new papal document, called a "motu proprio," applies mandatory new procedures for all Catholic Church dioceses across the globe on the reporting of alleged sexual abuse. Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston and president of the United States...

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We Can Help To report inappropriate contact of any kind by a representative of the Diocese of Norwich or for assistance for victims, please call The Diocesan Reporting Line @ 1-800-624-7407 If the incident involves a minor (persons under the age of 18), you must also call: State of Connecticut Department of Children and Families Care Line 1-800-842-2288 –OR– State of New York Child Protective Services 1-800-635-1522 Incidents involving abuse of vulnerable adults aged 18-59 should be reported to: Connecticut Department of Developmental Serv...

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Safe Environments, Report Abuse, Victim Assistance

The Connecticut Catholic Public Affairs Conference, the public policy office of Connecticut’s Catholic Bishops, is uniting with the CT State Missionary Baptist Convention and the CT Chapter of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference to speak out against the legalization of recreational marijuana in Connecticut. We exhort our Catholic parishes throughout Connecticut to join with these urban faith communities to make this initiative successful. Need more information on the issue go to – www.ctactholicpac.org Action Needed: Call the phone nu...

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Catholic Charities and St. Vincent de Paul Place each are recipients of $1,000 in charitable grant funds distributed by the Bodenwein Public Benevolent Foundation. St. Vincent de Paul Place will use the funds for its food pantry, while Catholic Charities will use its award for emergency basic needs and intensive case management. The Bodenwein Public Benevolent Foundation has distributed $25,000 in grants to 19 nonprofit organizations in the region this year. Last year, the foundation awarded $100,000 in grants. The foundation, the philanthropic part of The Day news...

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The middle school students of Saint Joseph School in Baltic participated in their third annual local Connecticut Invention Convention competition on March 29.   An original prototype was produced and tested by each student as a solution to a given problem. James Ruckert was the finalist for the 7th grade with his prototype Tie Shield. Daniel FitzGerald was the 6th grade finalist with his Faucet Friend. Brianna Smith was the 5th grade finalist for her prototype, the Higherase. The winners of the local competition will go on to represent the school in the Con...

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By Marie Kalita-Leary Mercy High School Dean of Academics and Technology Mrs. Melissa Bullock and Science teacher Ms. Gianna Iannucci have been involved with the University of Notre Dame Science and Religion Initiative since 2015. The Initiative is designed to help secondary Catholic school teachers to integrate Catholic teaching into the science classroom in terms of ethics, awareness of the history of Catholic scientists, and clarifying superstition from religion. They have also been involved in helping the Vatican Observatory advance its website and tools for teachers...

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By Ryan Blessing A dramatic transformation from darkness to light filled the Cathedral of St. Patrick as part of the celebration of the Easter Vigil on April 20. The Diocese of Norwich also welcomed three Catechumens, those who have never been officially baptized into a church prior to entering the Catholic Church, at the holy liturgy. The catechumens joined two Candidates – non-Catholic Christians requesting entrance in to the Catholic Church -- and six adults previously baptized as Catholic to receive the Sacraments of Initiation – Holy Communion and ...

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