On Saturday, Bishop McManus called for prayers. “I ask all Catholics and people of good will to join with me in prayer this weekend for the recovery of our Holy Father, Pope Francis, who is reported to be in critical condition,” he said. “May Jesus Christ the source of all healing restore him to health and the continued guidance of our Church as the Vicar of Christ.”

Father Michael J. Roy, 77, of Worcester, passed away peacefully with family by his side on Friday, Feb. 21 at the Notre Dame Long Term Care and Rehabilitation Center.

Feeling lonely one day, a Fitchburg girl built a “chapel” of pillows and blankets – and called out to God.

St. John’s announced Saturday the hiring of Mr. Senecal, 39, to replace John Vassar, who parted ways with the school after coaching the Pioneers to records of 5-6 and 3-8, including 1-9 in the Catholic Conference, over the past two seasons.

Catholic Charities Worcester County programs continue, basically unaffected by Trump administration policies, according to Timothy J. McMahon, the agency’s executive director. The administration has apparently scared some immigrants – whether or not they are here legally – away from seeking emergency services, even though Catholic Charities will not report them to the U.S. government, he said.

Sarah Collins Rudolph’s Black History Month talk at Anna Maria College Monday also provided an occasion for critiquing today’s society in light of history, and considering future action.

One parishioner details why she and her husband chose to convalidate their 12-year civil marriage.

Msgr. Richard F. Reidy, vicar general and moderator of the curia, has been appointed by Pope Francis as the next bishop of the Diocese of Norwich, Connecticut.

St. John’s High School announced February 5 the hiring of Lauren Hill as the next principal.

For Catholic Schools Week, priests visited classrooms at Trinity Catholic Academy. Among them were Assumptionist Fathers Luc Martel and John Franck, temporary administrator and associate pastor, respectively, of St. Anne and St. Patrick Parish in Sturbridge.

On a frigid January morning, Father John Madden spoke to a homeless woman at the St. John’s Food for the Poor Program. While the temperature outside plummeted near zero, the woman had spent the night in a small tent and her propane had run out.

St. Andrew Bobola Parish in Dudley will be dedicated as a shrine May 11, Bishop McManus said in a letter sent to parish priests and lay faithful of the diocese last month.

"You young people, I’m sure, are very computer savvy,” he told students, as he made a distinction between knowledge and wisdom.

For, in the end, people will only come to believe the Gospel of Life by love, that is, love of the young woman who is contemplating abortion and the doctor who advocates for euthanasia. People must believe that the woman and the doctor share in the same dignity as the unborn child or sick person whose life will be threatened by their decisions.

Since parish changes, Divine Mercy has grown, bringing with it new hope for the Church
 and a glimpse into the history of St. Paul Church that straddles the Massachusetts-Rhode Island border.

Personal experiences made the Jan. 24 March for Life in Washington, D.C., more meaningful for some people who went on the Worcester diocese’s trip.

Bishop McManus and superintendent of diocesan Catholic schools, David Perda, issued statements Friday in response to recent changes in federal immigration policies regarding churches and schools.

The billboard shows a woman cuddling a baby. It says, “Pro-Life: The Way of Love,” and “Care you can trust!” It gives a hotline number and a website about abortion, along with the school’s website.

Father Ralph Anthony DiOrio Jr., 94, referred to as the “healing priest” and founder and director of the Apostolate of Divine Mercy and Healing, passed away on Monday, Jan. 20 at Life Care Center of Auburn.