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Seven retirees repainted the church hall for their parish, Mary, Queen of the Rosary in Spencer.  “The majority of the crew are 80-years-plus, but yet you find them on ladders, scaffolding and down on the floor getting the baseboards,” marveled Kelly Sullivan, the parish’s director of religious education.

This winter, Avery Marzo led the Notre Dame Academy girls basketball team to the Central Mass. Athletic Directors Association Class C championship and to the Division 4 state semifinals. "We made history at NDA ...," she said.

The distribution of Communion under both species, which had been suspended during the pandemic, may resume beginning Easter Sunday.

The diocesan Mass for Life will be celebrated by Bishop McManus on March 24 at 10 a.m. at St. Paul Cathedral. Two couples, a student and a priest will be honored for their pro-life work.

The pre-confession talk “Readiness for Reconciliation” will be given by Msgr. James P. Moroney, the pastor of St. Cecilia Parish in Leominster, at the Worcester Diocesan Catholic Men’s Conference, March 25, at Assumption University.

The celebration of St. Patrick’s Day with a traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner is allowable this year, even though the day falls on a Friday in Lent. Bishop McManus has granted a dispensation.

​​​​​​​WORCESTER – Participating in the 100th annual St. Francis Xavier Novena at St. John Parish was a privilege for preachers and people in the pews. For many, making the Novena of Grace through the years has been special, enhanced by family connections.

Stewardship and Development Office reported it has received $1,148,823 from 2,103 gifts and pledges for this year’s Partners in Charity appeal, which is more than $54,000 ahead of last year at this time.

Ignatian Volunteer Corps provides men and women aged 50 and older the opportunity to volunteer to help those in need and to grow deeper in their faith by reflecting and praying in the Ignatian tradition.

Jeff Joaquin, owner of JMJ Site Development Inc., will speak at the Worcester Diocesan Catholic Men’s Conference, March 25, at Assumption University. His talk is titled, “The Journey Away from God and the Journey back.”

The Massachusetts bishops support a proposed $86 million expenditure in the state supplemental budget to expand emergency costs related to a growing migrant population in the state, the Massachusetts Catholic Conference announced today.

WORCESTER – Father Norman A. Meiklejohn, A.A., 94, died Sunday in the Rose Monahan Hospice Home. He was a former pastor of St. Anne-St. Patrick Parish in Sturbridge. His funeral will be held at 10 a.m. Friday in the Assumption University Chapel of the Holy Spirit, 512 Salisbury St.

Kayla Light-Pereira said she has a big circle on her calendar. The circle highlights April 8, the night before Easter Sunday, when she is to be initiated into the Catholic Church. She and 169 others were called to St. Paul Cathedral Sunday for a special liturgy.

March 13 marks the 10th anniversary of the election of Pope Francis. Father Thiago Ibiapina, associate pastor of Annunciation Parish in Gardner, who contributed to a new book about the pope, will speak that evening about Francis’ papacy at 6:30 p.m. at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church at 135 Nichols St.

A loss in the state playoffs Thursday night doesn't take away from the successful team-building that St. Paul's hockey team has undergone this season. And with such a young team, they will continue to improve, Coach Jay Monfreda predicts.

World champion surfer “Bear” Woznick will speak at the annual Worcester Diocesan Catholic Men’s Conference, scheduled for Saturday, March 25, at the Plourde Center at Assumption University. His talk is titled, “12 Rules of Manliness.”

Sister Theresa Khen Doan, MPV, 91 of Worcester, passed away peacefully Feb. 18 at St. Mary’s Healthcare Center. Her funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 10 a.m. in Our Lady of Vilna Church, 151 Sterling St., Worcester.

WORCESTER – The St. Francis Xavier novena that still draws crowds to St. John Parish on Temple Street marks its 100th anniversary this year. The March 4-12 devotion survived the coronavirus pandemic and has drawn prominent preachers and longtime devotees

Lent is a time of self-examination and adjustment that better prepares us to celebrate Easter and to attain the end for which God created us, Heaven. The measure of that examination is the Gospel, including the Commandments and the Beatitudes.