Local Year in Review 2022

By The Catholic Free Press

The shadow of the coronavirus pandemic continued to affect diocesan life early in 2022, with those who annually trek to Washington, D.C., again not making the trip to protest the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. Although disappointed at not making the trip, pro-lifers were buoyed in June when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Roe unconstitutional. The celebratory mood, however, was upset when local pro-life pregnancy help centers were vandalized with graffiti and threats. Public protests against abortion and in support of women and their unborn babies continued throughout the year.

Parishes, schools, individuals and the diocese supported the suffering people of Ukraine, whose country came under attack from Russia in February. There were calls for peace, prayers and material support. Bishop McManus joined with Pope Francis in consecrating Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Eight parishes, five in Blackstone Valley and three in Grafton, were merged into three parishes, two of which received new names. Three other parishes celebrated significant anniversaries this year; one reached 100 and two others celebrated 150 years.

With a waning pandemic, traditional gatherings returned across the diocese. St. Paul Cathedral was filled for the ordination of seven men in June. Also, the bishop’s annual Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners resumed at the cathedral, feeding all comers with continued hope and offering prayers for a new, post-pandemic year.

JANUARY
The pandemic again took a toll on the annual March for Life for Worcester diocesan students. The diocese did not send students to the Jan. 21 march in Washington, D.C. Instead, students participated in alternative activities to celebrate God’s gift of life. The March for Life has been held annually since the Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision on Jan. 22, 1973, that legalized abortion. Bishop McManus celebrated a Mass for Life at St. Paul Cathedral Jan. 20. The bishop called on Catholics to recommit to defending life.

The diocese established a St. Paul Diocesan Jr./Sr. High School Fund after the sale of the former St. Peter-Marian Jr./Sr. High School. The property at 781 Grove St. was sold in December 2021 for $4.75M. The diocese also sold the former St. Peter-Marian Junior High School to Little Ones Child Care Inc. for $1.75 million. Little Ones had leased the property from the diocese since 2016 and operates a daycare there.

Nathan Schroeder was hired as the director of facilities for the diocese. Richard Breagy retired Dec. 31, 2021. He had served the diocese and its 400 properties for 18 years. Mr. Schroeder was general manager, assistant project manager and site superintendent for various companies. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame.

Bishop McManus blessed the Grace Rett Athletic Complex and Education Center at Our Lady of the Valley Regional School in Uxbridge, located behind St. Mary Church. Grace Rett was a former OLV basketball player and a member of the rowing team at the College of the Holy Cross. She set a world record for consecutive indoor rowing shortly before she died in a motor vehicle accident on Jan. 15, 2020, while with her team in Florida.

Last year, the Serra Club of Southern Worcester County was on the verge of closing because of a lack of interest and the pandemic, but membership turned around in 2022 and it became the fastest growing Serra Club in the country. About half of the club’s members are women and each is assigned a seminarian to pray for daily.

The Legacy of Hope diocesan capital campaign distributed $1.8 million to 87 parishes, the largest amount distributed to parishes since the campaign began in 2019. The campaign had raised $31,736,239 as of January, with fund-raising efforts continuing.

St. Paul Diocesan Jr./Sr. High School gave a new service award to school nurse Robin Resteghini. She guided the new diocesan school through trying times during the pandemic.

FEBRUARY
Twenty-two parishes kicked off their parish appeals for Partners in Charity this month. A phased-in start to the annual campaign began last year so the Office of Stewardship and Development could work more closely with parishes. The majority of the 96 parishes and three missions in the diocese began their appeals in March.
 
In October of 2023, Pope Francis will convene the first session of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops called “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission.” The Holy Father asked every diocese in the world to provide input for the synod. The Diocese of Worcester began the process of gathering local input in February. Bishop McManus launched the local effort at a Mass at St. Paul Cathedral in October 2021. A diocesan synod page, www.worcesterdiocese.org/synod-2023, was created with information about synods and local efforts. In October the Pope announced a second session of the synod will be held in October 2024.
 
MARCH
Support from the Worcester diocese for the people of Ukraine began with special prayers, signs of solidarity and financial contributions. The diocesan Ukraine Relief Collection had brought in about $65,000 by early March. That money was sent to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to provide aid to the region which has been under attack by Russia. Even more was collected by schools and parishes. The Knights of Columbus provided support for Ukrainian relief in this diocese and the Supreme Council in New Haven, Connecticut, set up the fund with its own $1 million contribution, and offered to match other councils’ contributions up to $500,000.

Bishop McManus asked worshippers at the St. Francis Xavier novena to pray for the people of Ukraine. On the first day of the annual Novena of Grace at St. John Parish, the bishop said that when the novena started 99 years ago, the United States and Europe were recovering from World War I. As we begin this novena in the safety of this church “our brothers and sisters in Ukraine … are heroically sacrificing their lives for freedom” and the right to live in peace in their country, he noted.
 
Rose the Rebel debuted at Notre Dame Academy. The new mascot – with green and gold hair, sported an NDA athletic uniform when introduced to students. The idea for a mascot came in 2021 as part of a plan for the all-girls, private, Catholic middle/high school to guide, reimagine, and strengthen NDA’s impact on the lives of students to challenge them to bring the NDA Rebel to life, the school said.

Bishop McManus invited priests of the diocese to join him at St. Paul Cathedral at the Mass for Life joining Pope Francis and the universal Church in an Act of Consecration of the nations of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
 
Five parishes in the Blackstone Valley announced they would be combined into two parishes, as of July 1. Good Shepherd Parish in Uxbridge was merged with St. Mary Parish. The parish continues to be called St. Mary’s. St. Augustine Parish in Millville and St. Theresa and St. Paul parishes in Blackstone were merged with a new name, Divine Mercy Parish.

APRIL
The Worcester Diocesan Catholic Men’s Conference, which started in 2001, drew about 450 participants to Assumption University. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference drew as many as 1,000 men. The conference was canceled in 2020 and was remote in 2021.

 Three Grafton parishes became one in 2022. Bishop McManus met with the pastors and representatives from St. Mary, St. Philip and St. James parishes in April to inform them of his decision. The previous October the parishes began a renewal process. In March, parish representatives informed Bishop McManus of their recommendation to form a new parish. The bishop accepted the recommendation, and the parishes were merged effective July 1 and given the new name, Our Lady of Hope Parish.
 
Twenty-three youth and adults from different ethnic communities were baptized and/or confirmed during a joint Easter Vigil Mass in St. Joseph Church on Grafton Hill. People from Holy Family and St. Stephen parishes participated in a liturgy in which English, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Latin were spoken.

Wally Connor assisted Ukrainian refugees in Poland early in the year. The parishioner of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in West Brookfield met people who were relieved to escape the Russian bombs and thankful for the aid they received from strangers. “They would literally break down emotionally once they were over the border, knowing they were in a safe place,” he said. Mr. Connor is executive director of Supporting Orphans Nationally & Globally (SONG), an all-volunteer organization that supports orphaned children.
 
MAY
The former Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church property on Mulberry Street was sold for $5.6 million. A developer for the 5-acre property plans to build a 370-unit apartment complex and a parking garage. A community room in the complex is to exhibit Our Lady of Mount Carmel memorabilia. Bishop McManus closed Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in 2016 because of safety concerns over structural issues and the cost of rehabilitation and the parish’s inability to pay for it. A group called the Mount Carmel Preservation Society worked to prevent demolition and to reopen the church.

Bishop McManus addressed the first graduating class of Thomas Aquinas College, New England, in Northfield. In his homily, he reminded the graduates that though the task of living the truth is daunting, they will never be alone. He also told them, “The most significant contribution that you can make in fashioning the uncharted future that lies before you is to undertake your life journey with that peace that derives from being grounded and living in the truth.”

Auburn native Archbishop Michael W. Banach moved from western Africa to central Europe to start his new post as papal ambassador to Hungary. The geo-political situation caused by the Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine will be one of the challenges he will be facing. Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Banach, 59, a priest of the Diocese of Worcester, as apostolic nuncio in Hungary.

The former Ascension Church building and the attached Msgr. Edmond T. Tinsley Center were sold for $250,000 to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Members of that church have been worshipping there for several years. Proceeds from the sale of the church and center went to St. John Parish which acquired the Vernon Street property when Ascension Parish was merged with St. John’s in 2008.

JUNE
Francesco C. Cesareo stepped down as president of Assumption University. The institution’s 16th president spent 15 years at the school helping to strengthen Assumption’s Catholic identity and transition it into a university. President Cesareo raised approximately $77 million and opened a campus in Rome. “I saw my role as a steward of the institution, especially the mission of the institution,” he said in an interview with The Catholic Free Press in May. In October the Assumption board of trustees named Greg Weiner the 17th president of the university. Mr. Weiner served as Assumption’s interim president since April. Mr. Weiner, who is Jewish, is the first non-Catholic president of the university in its 118-year history. “Being Jewish gives me perhaps even a deeper appreciation for the kind of education that we are aspiring to offer,” Mr. Weiner said.

James Brasco, 52, was named diocesan director of cemeteries. He was director of sales and marketing for the Catholic Cemetery Association of the Archdiocese of Boston. His predecessor, Robert V. Ackerman, retired in December.

Seven men were ordained priests for the Diocese of Worcester. The new priests are Fathers James Joseph Boulette, Cleber de Paula Rodrigues, Julio Rafael Granados Alvarado, Michael David Hoye, Thiago Rodrigues Ibiapina, Derek Anthony Mobilio and Juan David Parra Rave. Three grew up in the Worcester diocese, two in Brazil and two in Colombia.

Bishop McManus issued a decree declaring that the Jesuit-backed Nativity School can no longer call itself Catholic. The decree was issued because the school refused to stop flying the Black Lives Matter and gay pride flags outside its building, as the bishop requested. He said the flags represent some beliefs that are inconsistent with Catholic teaching. The decree came after discussions with the school to find alternatives ended in a stalemate.

The Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade case decision. The decision in the Mississippi case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, brings an end to nearly a half-century of nationwide legalized abortion in the United States. The regulation of abortion reverts to the states. Allison LeDoux, director of the diocesan Respect Life Office and Office of Marriage and Family, gave credit to God, the Blessed Mother and persistent defenders of life. However, Massachusetts is one of many states that has passed laws to allow unrestricted access to abortion.

JULY
Members of Our Lady of the Lake Parish in Leominster created origami cranes to promote peace. More than 1,000 were made and hung in the church as a reminder to pray for peace for Ukraine and the world. Father C. Michael Broderick, pastor, came up with the idea to fill the church with the symbols of peace.

Hundreds of people in the diocese offered comments for the upcoming worldwide Assembly of the Synod of Bishops that will be held in October 2023. “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission” is the theme of the synod. Surveys were available online at the diocesan website, in The Catholic Free Press, and at small group meetings of parishioners and organizations. A report of the comments was sent to the USCCB which has compiled responses from more than 200 U.S. dioceses. The aim of the synod is to “discern at a universal level the voice of the Holy Spirit who has been speaking throughout the entire Church.”

Problem Pregnancy of Worcester Inc., on Pleasant Street, and Clearway Clinic on Shrewsbury Street, two crisis pregnancy centers in Worcester, were vandalized in July. Problem Pregnancy’s building was defaced with spray paint on its roof, windows and parking area. The name “Jane’s Revenge” was spray-painted in red on the walkway. Problem Pregnancy is across the street from Planned Parenthood’s abortion clinic. Clearway Clinic was vandalized with three broken windows, two shattered front doors and “Jane’s Revenge” was spray-painted on the walkway. Problem Pregnancy and Clearway Clinic provide assistance to women with unplanned pregnancies.

An attempt to require pro-life pregnancy centers in Worcester to perform or refer for abortions was moved forward by a 6-5 vote by the Worcester City Council. Mayor Joseph M. Petty cast the tie-breaking vote. An order was sent to the city solicitor and administration to draft an ordinance to regulate the centers. The two Worcester crisis pregnancy centers discussed at the meeting were Clearway Clinic and Problem Pregnancy of Worcester Inc. Councilors also voted 7-3, with one abstention, for a resolution that states Worcester supports “abortion rights.” As of mid-December, no action on the measure has been made public.

After an independent investigation into allegations of inappropriate conduct with female patrons of the St. John Food for the Poor Program in Worcester, a report was released by the Diocese of Worcester. William Riley, the program’s director, resigned. Bishop McManus announced that the investigation that he ordered found that all claims against Father John Madden, St. John’s pastor, were not warranted. The investigation was conducted by Atty. Robert J. Hennigan Jr. of Worcester.

Muslims fleeing Afghanistan found new homes in a parish center, in private homes, and in parishioners’ hearts. Since spring, the Harvard/Bolton Holy Trinity Parish has housed two families – 19 people – in its former St. Francis Xavier rectory.

AUGUST
Diocesan operating income did not cover expenses in fiscal 2021, although investments benefitted from a banner year in the financial market. The diocese released audited financial reports for the fiscal year that ended Aug. 31, 2021. The diocese ended the year in a deficit prior to allowing for realized and unrealized gains on investments. Expenses were $22,949,389. Income from contributions, tuitions, fees, cemeteries’ sales and investments totaled $20,992, 672. The operational deficit was $1,956,717. Gains on investments totaled $10,211,641. After accounting for gains on the sale of property, and net income from the Legacy of Hope capital campaign, as well as adjustments for an annuity, the diocese showed an increase in net assets of $12,217,796.

Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, archbishop of Boston, preached at the 135th annual Novena to St. Anne at St. Anne and St. Patrick Parish in Sturbridge. On the feast of St. Anne and St. Joachim, more than 250 people participated in the closing Mass and candlelight procession. The cardinal stayed to greet them. In his homily he offered inspiration that as disciples we are part of Jesus’ family. So, St. Anne “is also our grandmother, praying and interceding for us.”

The Catholic Schools Office retained Partners in Mission to assist in developing a board of limited jurisdiction to assist in the governance of St. Paul Diocesan Jr./Sr. High School. Partners in Mission also began working with St. Paul’s senior administration on strategic planning. Bishop McManus named Anna Maria College President Mary Lou Retelle as first chairman of the St. Paul’s board. She announced the members in December, and they held their first meeting.

 Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish at Our Lady of Loreto Church held its first Italian festival since 2019. The festival drew more than 7,000 people. It grossed $121,000. Pastor Msgr. F. Stephen Pedone said people appreciated getting together after the pandemic.

SEPTEMBER
Bishop McManus encouraged parents to opt their children out of the Worcester Public Schools’ controversial sex education program. In a letter to parents that was sent to pastors to share with parishioners, the bishop said, “I find the program to be morally unacceptable for our Catholic children or any child.” He continued, “It is age inappropriate, explicit and reflects a shallow, trivial, amoral view of sex. It is a radical program of indoctrination of children with views contrary to the Catholic understanding of sex, gender, and the dignity of the human person. … As parents, you are the first teachers of your children.”

St. Mary Parish in Shrewsbury began its centennial year. Opening a year-long observance, Bishop McManus celebrated Sunday Mass in a packed church with concelebrants, Msgr. Michael F. Rose, pastor; Father Jose F.
Carvajal, associate pastor; and priests who grew up there or once served there.

Bishop McManus expressed gratitude for support given to the Partners in Charity appeal, which reached 95 percent of its $5 million goal this year. More than half the parishes met or surpassed their goals.

After 31 years as music director at St. John Parish, Sean Redrow stepped down. He was hired in November 1991 when he was a junior at Holy Name Central Catholic High School and a month shy of his 17th birthday. He said he doesn’t know of another music director who has worked for a Catholic church in Worcester for as long as he has.

OCTOBER
Anna Maria College hit a home run, with the emphasis on “home.” The college held a ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of a $5 million, lighted, multi-purpose synthetic athletic field that will be the home of the college’s baseball team.

Stories of intense personal suffering and Jesus’ torture and death were told at the 2022 Worcester Catholic Women’s Conference that drew nearly 500 people to St. Joseph Elementary School in Webster. Called “Embrace the Cross,” the conference included opportunities to venerate relics of Christ’s cross and to pray the Stations of the Cross. Bishop McManus celebrated Mass and led attendees in eucharistic adoration and praying the rosary.

St. Aloysius Parish celebrated the 150th anniversary of its church building in the village of Gilbertville in Hardwick. At the anniversary Mass, Bishop McManus drew a connection between himself and the parish – through the religious congregation, the Faithful Companions of Jesus, that taught in the school there and taught him in Providence.

The Mustard Seed Catholic Worker community, named for the parable of the mustard seed, turned 50 years old in October. Its birthday was Oct. 4, the feast of St. Francis, the “little poor man of Assisi.” The “Seed” community in Worcester has fed and cared for the city’s poor, especially through its free suppers at its Piedmont Street location.

Marybeth Gilmore replaced Paul G. Schasel as director of the Office of Fiscal Affairs. Ms. Gilmore has been CFO of a large, residential program for youth with emotional and behavioral disabilities. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in administrative studies from Boston College.

NOVEMBER
At the annual Red Mass four people in the legal field were honored. Bishop McManus conferred the Distinguished Judicial Officer Award on Charles B. King, assistant clerk magistrate, East Brookfield District Court; the Msgr. F. Stephen Pedone Distinguished Attorney Award on John J. Spillane, Spillane & Spillane, Worcester; the Bishop Bernard J. Flanagan Ecumenical Award on Laura Silver Traiger, Worcester; and the Distinguished Catholic Layperson Award on Frank Rourke, assistant chief probation officer, Worcester District Court.

St. Stephen and Holy Family parishes held a eucharistic devotion to mark the National Eucharistic Revival. It consisted of 40 Hours Devotion and a procession between St. Joseph and St. Stephen churches on Hamilton Street. The three-year revival, organized by the United States Bishops to increase Catholics’ understanding of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist, started in June. The first year includes parish-based events.

In Leominster, St. Leo Parish celebrated its 150th anniversary with a Mass and a reception. Bishop McManus celebrated the Mass. The first Catholic parish in Leominster was named after Pope St. Leo the Great, because Leominster means “Leo’s church,” Father William E. Champlin, the pastor, said. The parish was established in 1872 with about 65 founding families, most of them Irish, he said.

Stained glass windows from the former St. Peter-Marian Central Catholic Jr./Sr. High School in Worcester were installed in St. Paul Diocesan Jr./Sr. High School. The windows of the Holy Family had graced the chapel at the now closed high school. The school was merged with Holy Name Central Catholic Jr./Sr. High School in the fall of 2020 to form St. Paul’s on Holy Name’s campus.

For the 63rd year, Catholic Charities Worcester County coordinated the Bishop’s Holiday Dinners on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Bishop McManus hosted the dinners for the 18th year at the Cenacle at St. Paul Cathedral. He is the fifth Bishop of Worcester to host them. About 200 meals were served in person on Thanksgiving Day and more than 3,000 meals were delivered to those in need.

DECEMBER
St. Bernard’s High School football team captured its second consecutive Division 8 state title this year, driving it to the Division 7 state championship game. The Bernardians came up short with a loss to West Boylston in Gillette Stadium.

Advent activities throughout the diocese increased the anticipation of the celebration of birth of Jesus at Christmas by reviving old traditions that had been stifled by the pandemic. Many parishes emphasized eucharistic adoration as part of the National Eucharistic Revival. Others reflected God’s love and generosity by giving to those less fortunate around them.

The week before Christmas a shelter was opened in Blessed Sacrament Parish’s Phelan Center to welcome the homeless.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decided that the state Constitution did not provide a right to physician-assisted suicide, but said the question rightly belongs as a legislative matter.

In 2022 we prayed for the repose of the souls of three diocesan priests: Fathers Rinaldo Damian (Jan. 18), Robert E. Gariepy (Feb. 12) and Richard A. Jakubauskas (June 8). May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace.