Father, What Does Beatification Mean? Every so often, the Church announces that a holy man or woman has been declared “Blessed.” When Catholics hear the word beatification, many wonder what it actually means. Is the person already a saint? What changes? Why is it important? Beatification is one of the final steps on the road to canonization. It is the Church’s official declaration that a deceased person lived a life of heroic virtue and is now enjoying the presence of God in Heaven. Through beatification, the Church permits public veneration of ...

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The faithful of the Diocese of Norwich are invited to join Bishop Reidy on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, for a day of prayer, pilgrimage and fellowship at St. Anne Shrine in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. The pilgrimage will take place on the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows and will offer participants a special opportunity for devotion to St. Anne and the Blessed Virgin Mary. For more than 100 years, pilgrims have traveled to St. Anne Shrine seeking healing, peace and the unfailing love of Christ through the intercession of St. Anne and her daughter, Mary. Prayer at St....

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As summer begins to wind down, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Norwich is inviting the community to help local children start the new school year with confidence by donating new school supplies.   Each year, many families throughout eastern Connecticut struggle to afford the basic supplies students need for a successful school year. Through this annual Back-to-School School Supply Drive, Catholic Charities hopes to ease that burden by providing children with the tools they need to learn, grow, and thrive in the classroom.   Donations of new school...

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Bishop Richard F. Reidy opens the Blessing of the Farm near the barn at Wehpittituck Farm, its loft doors draped with an American flag. As farmers moved into the heart of the growing and harvest season, members of the Catholic community gathered under a clear summer sky on Tuesday, Aug. 18, for a Blessing of the Farm at Wehpittituck Farm on Cove Road in Stonington. Bishop Richard F. Reidy led the outdoor rite in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology and animals, giving thanks for the land and asking God's continued protection over the farm, its ...

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A Tradition Continues in Pawcatuck Hosted by the St. Michael Maria Assunta Society, this tradition was brought here by the Sicilian Tusani who migrated and settled in Pawcatuck. The beautiful statue of the Blessed Mother was carved in Genoa from wood and shipped from Palermo, Sicily, in 1935. Over the years, the celebration has centered around the tradition of a special Sunday Mass and a procession with the statue of the Blessed Mother through the streets of Pawcatuck, accompanied by a band playing traditional music. Along the route, people stop the procession to ...

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How Religious Communities and Diocesan Clergy Work Together to Build Up the Church Have you ever wondered why some priests belong to a religious community and others do not? Or why are there multiple religious orders active in our diocese, some of which are connected to parishes and others that are not? These can be causes of confusion for many in the Church, but the answers lie in the foundational idea of vocation. First, we must speak of the vocation to the religious life, or more properly, the consecrated life. People in this vocation are called to give a total gif...

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