Throughout history, only four women have been given the title “Doctor of the Church” St. Hildegard of Bingen St. Catherine of Siena St. Teresa of Avila St. Therese of Lisieux Women of Influence October 10, 2019 - 7:00-8:30 pm St. Andrew Church Hall, Colchester   Sr. Elissa Rinere,C.P.,J.C.D. will present the life and times of these four great women, what they wrote, prayed and preached, and how each was and is a woman of influence.   RSVP by OCTOBER 7TH Office of Faith Events 860-848-2237, ext. 304 or ma...

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Doctors, WomenofInfluence, Saints, Avila, Lisieux

By Andrea Hoisl Blessings are words that express gratitude for something or show God’s favor. What does the word “bless” actually mean? In Hebrew, the root means “to increase” or “bring down Divine abundance.” So if I bless you, I am asking God to increase your well-being, happiness, or circumstances – in essence, to give you more of Himself. In a world where there is so much going on, we often forget to take time to recognize and acknowledge the many blessings in our lives. Those can include the times when God has given...

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Chris Healy, Executive Director of the Connecticut Catholic Conference, takes issue with Planned Parenthood of CT attempt to get taxpayers to pay for more abortions after it declined federal money. Listen Here     Connecticut Planned Parenthood Rejects Federal Title X Family Planning Funds The Trump administration’s new regulations concerning Title X funding has resulted in Planned Parenthood organizations nationwide, including in Connecticut, to refuse to accept any further Title X funds. Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (...

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Pro-Life, ProLife

FCC News Desk As three airliners smashed into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon, and Flight 93 crashed into a Pennsylvania field on September 11, 2001, Joaquín Navarro-Valls, at the time the director of the Vatican press office, delivered the news to Pope John Paul II. "I remember that terrible afternoon as if it were yesterday. I called the Pope, who was at Castel Gandolfo, I gave him the news. He was shocked not only by the tragedy itself, but also because he could not explain how man could achieve this abyss of evil..." he recalled in a 2011 ...

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Pope, John, Paul, 9/11

Catholic Family Services Office is offering a day for those experiencing the pain and hurt of losing a marriage relationship. Hope and Healing: Surviving Divorce and Separation, Saturday, November 23, from 9-2pm. The Church of the Holy Family Parish Hall, 185 Church St., Hebron. This workshop will give you time for personal reflection, group sharing, prayer, ritual, journaling, and support with other Catholics seeking hope and healing as you gently move forward in your life. The cost for the day is $15, which includes materials and lunch. Registration is required...

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Join us at St. Francis Church in Lebanon at 6pm on September 19, 2019 as we pray for men to answer the call to be instruments of God’s grace as priests and for women to answer the call to consecrated life.  St. Francis Church 67 West Town Street Lebanon, 06249

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All women in the diocese are invited to attend the Annual NDCCW Convention on Saturday, October 19, at St. John the Evangelist Parish, 22 Maple Avenue, Montville.  Sign-in and refreshments begin at 9am then a brief business meeting followed by the keynote speaker, Donna Marie Cooper O’Boyle. She will speak about St. Faustina. Donna Marie is an award winning author and journalist, speaker and an EWTN TV host and creator of Everyday Blessings for Catholic Moms, Catholic Mom’s Café and her newest series Feeding Your Family’s Soul. Mo...

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Women, CatholicWomen, Cooper-O'Boyle

By Ryan Blessing Saint Joseph School in North Grosvenordale celebrated a "grand" day on Sunday, September 8, by commemorating National Grandparents Day and celebrating the dedication of its new Bishop Vincent Hines Learning Center. The school celebrated all "Grandparents and Grand Friends" at its breakfast fundraiser to start the 2019-20 school year. Putnam restaurant Jessica Tuesday's and the Chrzanowski family sponsored the breakfast in memory of Ronald Chrzanowski, who passed away last year and who was the grandfather of several st...

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Saint, Joseph, Spirol, Hines

By Ryan Blessing Teachers both past and present within the diocese were honored Sunday, September 8, with a special Mass for Educators at the Cathedral of St. Patrick in Norwich. The 24th annual educators' Mass, celebrated by the Most Reverend Michael R. Cote, Bishop of Norwich, also marked an observance of the 18th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. "Let us rededicate ourselves to our mission as parents, teachers, administrators and support staff in education, confirming and strengthening each other's efforts in o...

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Mass, Education, schools

Join us for an Evening of Prayer Learn different ways to pray Experience different types of prayer Share prayers and petitions with others Use scripture to direct your prayers October 9, 2019- 6:30-8:00 pm Our Lady of Lourdes Rectory Meeting Room, Gales Ferry RSVP by Oct. 3, 2019 860-848-2237, ext. 304 or manicholas@norwichdiocese.net

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2019, Norwich, Catholic, Prayer, Norwich, Prayer, Gales Ferry, enrichment

Students across the Diocese returned to school last week. Teachers and parents were there to document the first day with their cameras, and they shared their photos. The September issue of the Four County Catholic will have a section featuring photos of students from the Diocese schools on their first day back.   To see a gallery of Back to School photos, click here or on the photo to the right.   

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Norwich

FCC News Desk Pope Francis arrived in Maputo, Mozambique on Wednesday, kicking off a Sept. 4-10 trip to sub-Saharan Africa. The pope was greeted by government officials at a welcoming ceremony, with singing crowds lining the streets. On the nearly 11-hour flight to Africa, Pope Francis offered prayers for victims of Hurricane Dorian, which tore through the Bahamas this week, causing widespread devastation. He encouraged people to pray “for the victims of the hurricanes in the Bahamas, poor people who in one day lost their homes, lost everything and lost their...

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NDCCW Award Scholarships to Mercy Freshmen Two incoming Mercy High School freshmen were each presented a scholarship by the Norwich Diocesan Council of Catholic Women(NDCCW).  Marian Hall of St. Bridget of Kildare Parish in Moodus and Isabella Baldassini of St. Mary Częstochowa Parish in Middletown submitted applications in the spring.  The $500 scholarships are awarded to eighth grade girls who will be attending a Catholic high school in the fall. Isabella, the daughter of Paul Baldassini and Susanne Lee-Baldassini, graduated from St. John Paul II School...

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Sister Mary Rita Clare Hoffner, 91, a Sister of Mercy, died on August 17, 2019 at St. Mary Home in West Hartford after a brief illness. Born of the late William and Olivine (Gardner) Hoffner in Manchester, CT she was also raised there. After graduating high school, Rita became a Sister of Mercy on December 28, 1946 and pronounced her vows on June 28, 1949 taking the religious name, Sister Mary Rita Clare. She began teaching primary grades in parish schools within the Hartford Archdiocese, earning a B.S. degree in education, studying on a part time basis. She continued to...

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The latest issue of the Four County Catholic is available now, and is packed with news about the Diocese of Norwich. This issue features a story about Doug Green, the longtime music director at the Cathedral of St. Patrick in Norwich. Doug retired Aug. 15 after 40 years of harmonious service. There also are photos from this year's Blessing of the Fleet in Stonington Borough and photos and a story about the ordination of Father Michael Castiblanco, as well as columns and news from the ministries within the Diocese.    The issue is available in full,...

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