Pope Francis has called for a global day of prayer and fasting on Oct. 7 to mark the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel amid escalating violence in the region. The pope’s surprise announcement, made at the end of his homily at Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, comes the morning after Iran launched hundreds of missiles toward Israel following the launch of the Israeli military’s ground offensive in Lebanon. Pope Francis said on Oct. 2 that the Church is always at the service of humanity, “especially in his dramatic hour of...

Read More

For centuries Christians have attributed a first-century date to the Shroud of Turin. Nuclear engineer Robert Rucker says that his latest research on the shroud verifies that. “The Shroud of Turin is the second-most valuable possession of the human race next to the Bible itself,” Rucker told CNA. The shroud is currently preserved in the Chapel of the Holy Shroud adjacent to St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Turin (Torino), Italy. For more than 10 years, Rucker has studied the physics of the disappearance of the body of Jesus and its imprint on the shr...

Read More

“Everyone who needs help should receive help.” This is the simple message that underscores the National Catholic Mental Health Campaign. WASHINGTON – “Everyone who needs help should receive help.” This is the simple message that underscores the National Catholic Mental Health Campaign. The campaign was launched in 2023 through the efforts of the chairmen of two committees in response to growing concerns in mental and behavioral health to raise awareness among Catholics nationwide on the many facets of mental hea...

Read More

A Saint Bernard sophomore won a special award recently for developing a smart helmet aimed at making football safer.   Palmer Noe, a sophomore at Saint Bernard School, entered his project in the Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair and received recognition from the Office of Naval Research – U.S. Navy / U.S. Marine Corps.  “I created an accessible, objective smart helmet that reports head impact data in real time to notify coaches when a player needs to be pulled off the field for the concussion protocol,” Palmer said. This was ...

Read More

  Last year, my husband and I presented a marriage enrichment in which we challenged couples to look at their future dreams for their relationship. The premise was that dreaming about their future would help couples shape the choices they were making to see those dreams fulfilled. We were inspired by something we read in the marriage preparation book Better Together, produced by the Dynamic Catholic Institute. The authors write, “God invites you to look into the future and see something amazing … When we fail to dream, we waste God’s gift of th...

Read More

The Holy Father Francis cordially imparts the requested Apostolic Blessing to the Rector Rev. Msgr. Anthony S. Rosaforte and all the faithful of the Saint Patrick Cathedral on the occasion of the 145th Dedication Anniversary of the Church and, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, invokes an abundance of divine graces. Norwich, Connecticut ~ September 28, 2024   As the Diocese of Norwich celebrates the 145th anniversary of the dedication of St. Patrick Church on September 28th, we reflect on the history and significance of this remarkable bui...

Read More

On Sunday, September 22, 2024, a special Dedication and Blessing ceremony took place at Guardian Angels Roman Catholic Church in Colchester for the new Pro-Life Holy Family Statue. This beautiful statue, a gift from the men of the Knights of Columbus Francis Cardinal Spellman Council #6107, stands as a powerful symbol of the Knights' unwavering commitment to the sanctity of life. Affiliated with both Guardian Angels Roman Catholic Church and St. Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church, the council’s members generously funded the statue as part of their ongoing support f...

Read More

Homilist, Rev. Brian Maxwell delivers an inspiring message at the September 24th vigil Mass to kick off the 40 Days for Life campaign in the Diocese of Norwich. This year, the 40 DAYS FOR LIFE campaign runs from Wednesday, September 25th through Sunday, November 3rd. It is hoped that you will join pro-life people of all faiths by praying, fasting, and signing up to attend the 40 DAYS FOR LIFE peaceful prayer vigil held outside Planned Parenthood, 12 Case St., Norwich. Never done it before? There’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s not a protest. Here&rsquo...

Read More

The Vatican on Sept. 16, 2024, unveiled a commemorative stamp to mark four decades of diplomatic relations with the United States.  | Credit: Governorate of the Vatican City State   The Vatican last week unveiled a commemorative stamp to mark four decades of diplomatic relations with the United States.  The two nations first announced diplomatic relations on Jan. 10, 1984. The U.S. Senate subsequently confirmed diplomat William Wilson as the first U.S. ambassador to the Holy See; he had previously served as then-President Ronald Reagan’s person...

Read More

The Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Norwich Inc. is pleased to announce the two 2024 recipients of the Rev. Richard F. Roughan Scholarships: Katherine Hawkins, daughter of Russell and Victoria Hawkins of Waterford; and Sean Kramer, son of Christopher and Nicole Kramer of Waterford. Katherine is entering her sophomore year at the University of Rhode Island, where she is majoring in innovation and entrepreneurship, with a minor in environmental economics. Sean is beginning his freshman year at Fairfield University, where he plans to study finance. Every year, two stu...

Read More