Father Gregory Galvin, Director of Priestly Vocations It’s hard to believe that by the time Easter arrives this year we will only be ten days away from the month of May. God continues to answer the many prayers from all parts of the diocese regarding an increase of vocations. I am excited to announce that Bishop Cote happily accepted Mark Johnson into sponsorship to begin studies for the priesthood. Mark has been discerning a vocation to the priesthood actively since his sophomore year at UCONN and will hopefully be accepted into seminary later this summer. He will be graduating from UCONN in May, with two...

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1,000 ultrasound machines encourage moms to keep their babies NEW HAVEN – The Knights of Columbus (K of C) demonstrated its commitment to the defense of life with a major milestone in its signature ultrasound donation program. Marking the donation of its 1,000th ultrasound machine in Manassas, Va., this week, the Knights estimate that the machines have contributed to saving hundreds of thousands of lives by helping mothers see their unborn child.   Knights-donated machines are at work in all 50 U.S. states as well as in Puerto Rico, Brazil, Canada, Jamaica, Peru, and Africa. The Knights calculate t...

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By Andrea Hoisl How do we reach our youth today? How do we make faith “real” for them? How do we help our children develop a relationship with God in today’s world? These and so many other questions are ones the committee charged with creating a Diocesan Curriculum for parish catechetical programs grappled with for two years. This team of busy professionals from across the Diocese included: Youth and Young Adult Minister Liza Roach; Randy Bouley, consultant for the Diocesan Office of Safe Environments; Father Ted Tumicki, pastor of St. Mary, Jewett City, St. Catherine of Siena, Preston, and St. Thom...

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By: Mary-Jo McLaughlin A new Diocesan curriculum guide for parish religious education programs reflects a major shift in how we teach children about their Catholic faith.  “We want to move away from just teaching our children the content of our Catholic faith to helping them build a lifelong relationship with the Church and Jesus Christ,” said Andrea Hoisl, director of the Diocesan Office of Faith Events (OFE), which is overseeing the new curriculum development. “The new emphasis is on the formation of our youth in the faith. Formation is a lifelong process where one continues to grow and chang...

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 “Hand in Hand with All God’s Children” By Kathy Gaito We all know someone who occasionally needs a helping hand.  Whether it’s a neighbor who asks you to pick up the mail or a family member who needs a ride to an appointment, we all do our best to accommodate them. These tasks may seem simple to the person who is helping, but the person receiving the assistance is always very grateful! There are also many issues people face during their lives that require the assistance of others. People are hungry, ill, and homeless. Others are in need of counseling or guidance, perhaps deciding i...

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