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,

With an expected heat wave set to blanket the region this weekend, it's a good time to remind all that the St. Vincent de Paul Place food pantry, at 120 Cliff St. in Norwich, is available for those seeking a cooling center. The pantry/soup kitchen is open from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily, except Sundays. The Rose City Senior Center at 8 Mahan Drive is another local cooling center option, and it will be open 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday and from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. Forecasts call for temperatures in the high 90s Saturday and ...

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st. vincent de paul, cooling, heat

Vatican City, (CNA).- Pope Francis approved the miracle attributed to Archbishop Fulton Sheen Friday, making possible the American television catechist's beatification. The Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints promulgated the decree approving Sheen’s miracle on July 6. The miracle involves the unexplained recovery of James Fulton Engstrom, a boy born apparently stillborn in September 2010 to Bonnie and Travis Engstrom of the Peoria-area town of Goodfield. He showed no signs of life as medical professionals tried to revive him. The child&rsq...

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Archbishop Sheen, beatification, miracle

July 10, 2019 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: These past months have been marked by escalating tensions at our southern border.  Most recently we were confronted with the tragic images of the drowning deaths of Óscar Martínez and his 23-month-old daughter, Angie Valeria, who were fleeing the dangers of El Salvador for the safety of the United States.  Other immigrants have crossed the border with their lives, but have been captured and are now detained in overcrowded conditions as a result of political gridlock in our nation’s capital. We, the ...

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immigration, CTBishops, Reform, ImmigrationReform, ICE

By Mary-Jo McLaughlin Faith Sparks…. Ignite Your Faith is a new column that the office of Faith Events (OFE) will premier in the August issue of the Four County Catholic to help engage parents, grandparents and families in their faith. “One of the focuses of our new Diocesan faith formation curriculum is to get adults involved in learning more about their faith along with their children,” said Andrea Hoisl, OFE director. “This new column will help people become more aware of the nuances of their faith so that they in turn may be a living witne...

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By Eileen Betz Aithanh Nguyen graduated from the Academy of the Holy Family in Baltic, Connecticut on June 4, 2019. When first attending the Academy, Aithanh was not sure whether it was the right place for her to develop into the person God wanted her to be. However, these doubts didn’t last long. “The Academy is the place where I truly started caring about my education. I found myself focused on my work, doing well in school, and actually wanting to learn more,” Aithanh said. “The smaller student body size and one-on-one attention helped me t...

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My Dear Friends, Our pre-kindergarten to grade 8 schools and high schools have successfully completed another academic and spiritual year in the Diocese. Our students are self-disciplined, self-motivated, responsible, athletic and creative. It is truly a time to celebrate their accomplishments and to thank you for supporting our Catholic schools. Please join me in congratulating and praying for our high school graduates from the class of 2019. I am proud to announce that the extremely high college acceptance rate of our seniors reflects the dedication of the admin...

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By Kathy Gaito Think about the feeling you have when you set goals and each day you make strides to meet those goals. Sometimes the goals we set are easier to reach with the help of others. Often, when our goals are met, they have a domino effect helping others also achieve something positive in their own lives. The Annual Catholic Appeal has a goal, and yes, it is monetary, but this monetary goal has a domino effect leading to a positive secondary outcome. The money donated to the ACA is used to help our Diocesan ministries keep their vital works flowing throughou...

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A celebration of the ordination to the priesthood of Reverend Michael Castiblanco for service as a priest in the Diocese of Norwich took place June 29, 2019. The Ritual Mass for the Conferral of Holy Orders took place at the Cathedral of St. Patrick in Norwich, with the Most Reverend Michael R. Cote, D.D., Bishop of Norwich, as the ordaining celebrant. Father Castiblanco is a native of Columbia, and his parents traveled from there to Norwich for the ordination.  For photos from the ordination, click the photo or this link to be taken to a gallery.

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Norwich, Castiblanco, Priest, Connecticut, Ordination, Columbia

Q: How long have you been a member of the Board of Directors at Catholic Charities? A: I have been on Catholic Charities Board of Directors for three years but have been on the New London Advisory Board for 14 years. Q: Why did you become involved with Catholic Charities and what has your involvement looked like during your tenure? A: I became involved because I believe strongly that the Catholic Church must care for our neighbors who are in need. We must see Christ in every person and offer ways for them to improve their situation in life. Q: How would you ch...

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