News - May 2018 RSS Feed

Michele Norris, award-winning journalist, spoke at the 172nd commencement of the College of the Holy Cross, held Friday in the DCU Center.

“Everybody was distraught” upon learning that St. Bernard Parish was being merged with St. Camillus de Lellis Parish across the city, Maureen Hayes said recently. That was in 2010. But that sorrow has turned to joy.

WORCESTER – “The Catholic Church stands with you,” Bishop McManus told immigrants at a special Pentecost Mass Saturday evening at St. Paul Cathedral. He tried to assure those who fear having to leave the United States that the Church will do everything it can to protect them. 

Lay people are called to change the culture through the lens of the Church, but in the United States they have not picked up the baton, Bishop McManus said during a presentation about physician assisted suicide May 17.

WORCESTER – They came, they served, they found community. Now they’re retiring. There’s life to be lived, family to enjoy, ministry to continue, in different ways. Beth Tobin and Dawn VanRiper are finishing up years of service – to students and adults – at St. Peter-Marian Central Catholic  Junior/Senior High School.

Developing a relationship with Jesus, through his Mother, was at the heart of two talks given to healthcare professionals May 10 and 11. Sister Angela de Fatima Coelho, a medical doctor from Portugal, was special guest at the 14th annual Divine Mercy Medicine, Bioethics & Spirituality Conference, held at the College of the Holy Cross

Recently, Bishop McManus asked the priests and laity of the diocese to pray for the immigrant community on Pentecost weekend. It is very fitting because on Pentecost we celebrate the birthday of the Church. It is not race, color of skin, or place of origin that makes the Church, but it is the Holy Spirit – the source of unity and human solidarity.

Prayers and praise, presentations and presence were his birthday gifts. He received them with his trademark warm smile, outstretched hands and rousing rendition of “Danny Boy.” The guest of honor, on his 90th birthday – Saturday, May 12, was none other than Daniel P. Reilly, bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Worcester.

Anna Maria College graduates were told not to equivocate on their principles, as they participated in college’s 69th commencement Saturday at Hanover Theatre in Worcester. “Like Pope Francis, we want your voices to be heard; we want you to shout,” said Mary Louise Retelle, who became the college’s president four years ago, when many of them arrived.

WORCESTER - Owen James Murphy Jr., 86, of Worcester died Friday, at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester. For more than 30 years, a period that included the years that surrounded and followed the Second Vatican Council, Mr. Murphy was editor of The Catholic Free Press. A funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be held Friday at 10 a.m. in Christ the King Church, 1052 Pleasant St., Worcester.

WORCESTER – A bishop popular on social media offered the “key to happiness” at Assumption College’s 101st commencement Sunday at the DCU Center. “To be filled with God is to be emptied out. … To have God in you is equivalent to making your life a gift,” said Bishop Robert E. Barron, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

The Worcester Diocese will conduct a capital campaign over the next two years to address “critical diocesan and parish capital issues,” Bishop McManus announced this week. The campaign will be conducted by Guidance in Giving Inc., the bishop said.

In an effort to more closely connect the operation of the three central Catholic high schools, the diocese has created the new position of associate superintendent of secondary schools. The Catholic Schools Office has posted the job on several online sites.

Youth were encouraged to develop a relationship with Jesus, spread his word and be open to a vocation Saturday. They were attending the annual Scouting Religious Awards Mass at St. Paul Cathedral to receive religious medals they have earned in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), Girl Scouts of America (GSA) or American Heritage Girls (AHG).

The Massachusetts Catholic bishops released a statement Monday urging support for an increase in the hourly minimum wage.

The Men of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary have been sharing the infinite love of Jesus and Mary with people throughout Massachusetts. They do so by spreading devotion to the Sacred Heart by enthroning Jesus in homes, parishes, businesses and schools.

The Assumptionists are rededicating themselves to St. Anne and St. Patrick Parish in Sturbridge by establishing a new local community of men there. Assumptionist Father Dennis M. Gallagher, provincial superior of the North American Province, made the announcement last weekend.

WORCESTER – Blessed Sacrament Parish received a $10,000 grant this week to educate and support families dealing with addictions. The project is to be carried out at the church and in neighborhoods and homes.

Mother’s Day is a time to remember our mothers and all they have done for us. But for the women of St. Denis Parish in Douglas, Mother’s Day signals the beginning of their annual campaign - “Mother’s Love” -to help other mothers in need.

Knights of Columbus from the area will honor Bishop Reilly on May 12 at a celebration of his 90th birthday and the 65th anniversary of his ordination as a priest. According to Charles J. Murphy, co-chairman, the luncheon also will serve as a fund-raiser for the Sisters of Notre Dame du Lac.