Home/Stay Informed/All Diocesan Articles

All Diocesan Articles

The Humble Servant – A Deacon’s Heart

Posted on December 03, 2025 in: News

The Humble Servant – A Deacon’s Heart
  The permanent deacon is an ordained minister who receives the Sacrament of Holy Orders and is called to a life of service to the People of God in the ministries of the liturgy, the word, and charity. The permanent deacon is called to be a living “image of Christ” (Imago Christi...

Read More

Lifting Our Spouse Up When Faced with Challenges
While bicycling, my husband and I stopped by a pond and noticed a small turtle climbing onto a log in the water. The turtle struggled several times, slipping into the water and trying again before achieving his goal. I commented to my husband, “Too bad the turtle didn’t have someone to l...

Read More

Gratitude Should Accompany Your Turkey and Pie, Pope Says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Thanksgiving is a "beautiful feast" that reminds everyone to be grateful for the gifts they have been given, Pope Leo XIV said. "Say thank you to someone," the pope suggested two days before the U.S. holiday when he met reporters outside his residence in ...

Read More

Finding the Gospel in our Holiday Movies

Posted on November 26, 2025 in: ADVENT

Finding the Gospel in our Holiday Movies
Each Advent, as we prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ, we’re drawn to the warmth of familiar Christmas stories. We dust off old DVDs, queue up streaming favorites, and settle in with cocoa, popcorn,and twinkling lights — yet beneath the nostalgia, many of these films quietly pro...

Read More

Honoring a Career of Faithful Service

Posted on November 25, 2025 in: News, ACA

Honoring a Career of Faithful Service
Celebrating the Retirement of Mary Ellen Mahoney After more than 12 years of faithful service, the Diocese of Norwich is celebrating the retirement of Mary Ellen Mahoney, who joined us on March 13, 2013, and quickly became one of the most trusted, steady, and mission-driven members of our diocesa...

Read More

Help Everyone Access the Bible, Including Online, Pope Urges
Pope Leo XIV met with leaders of the Catholic Biblical Federation on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the promulgation of the Second Vatican Council's Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, "Dei Verbum." And he received one of the first copies of The Catholic American Bible. ...

Read More

A Prayer of Thanksgiving

Posted on November 20, 2025 in: Reflections

A Prayer of Thanksgiving
Lord God, on this day of Thanksgiving, we ask your blessings on our family, our friends, our home, our health and on the food we are about to eat. We thank you for this time together and the many gifts that you have given us. Help us to remember in this time of bounty those less fortunate. An...

Read More

Living the Longing: Finding God in the Quiet of Advent- A Reflection by Bishop Reidy
I love the Advent Season. I love it not just for what it leads to – the joyful celebration of Christ’s birth at Bethlehem. I love Advent for itself: a season of longing, expectation, and hope. I think that, in a way, the entirety of life is like Advent. There is, deep within us, a lon...

Read More

Padre Pio’s Devotional Joy Leads Us to the Christmas Open House
*Padre Pio and the Humble Mystery of the Incarnation* For Padre Pio, the heart of December was never noise or celebration—it was wonder. He was profoundly moved by the mystery of the Incarnation, the moment when God chose to enter the world in the smallest and simplest of forms. The hum...

Read More

Mark Your Calendar: Advent 2025 Begins November 30
  “Beloved, now is the acceptable time spoken of by the Spirit, the day of salvation, peace and reconciliation: the great season of Advent. This is the time eagerly awaited by the patriarchs and prophets, the time that holy Simeon rejoiced to see.” – St. Charles Borromeo...

Read More

Page 3 of 191First   Previous   1  2  [3]  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  Next   Last   

Most Viewed Articles of the Last 30 Days

Mass at Midnight Returns to Saint Patrick Cathedral This Christmas Eve
Diocese Welcomes All to Midnight Mass There is something unforgettable about a church filled in the quiet hours of Christmas Eve, when the city has gone still and the only sound is familiar carols rising into the rafters. This year, the Diocese of Norwich invites you to experience that moment again as Mass at Midnight returns to the Cathedral of Saint Patrick on Christmas Eve. The Most Reverend Richard F. Reidy will be the celebrant. Plan to arrive early, as the Cathedral choir will begin singing Christmas carols about 30 minutes before Mass begins, helping to prepare...

Read More

Jennifer Harding named new Executive Director of Outreach to Haiti
Outreach to Haiti has welcomed Jennifer “Jen” Harding as its new Executive Director, succeeding Susan Wallace, who served the ministry since June 2019.   Jen brings extensive experience in international development and a strong commitment to compassionate, community-driven service. “At the heart of this work is walking alongside Haitian communities with humility and hope, listening first and building together,” Jen shared.   Jen joins Outreach to Haiti with 20 years of experience leading health and community programs in Afri...

Read More

Advent Hope and Haiti’s Faithful Journey- A Season of Waiting and Witness
As we journey through these days of Advent, we are reminded that this is a season filled with hope and expectation—and that our road to the fullness of God’s Kingdom has mountains to climb and valleys to descend before we reach our destination. In this season of preparation, we remember not only Christ’s coming, but also those who still wait for redemption in the midst of suffering—like our brothers and sisters in Haiti. The people of Haiti know well the twists and turns of an arduous journey as they travel a rugged road, trusting it will lead to ...

Read More

Faith, Friendship, and Forever: UConn Missionaries Discern Vocation Together
Ethan and Julie Roberts are two of the FOCUS missionaries at UConn, bringing students on campus to Christ through evangelization, outreach, and discipleship. In August, they united in the sacrament of Holy Matrimony. I recently sat down with them to discuss their discernment of their vocation to marriage. Both Julie and Ethan had transformative experiences with the Lord while in college themselves. Their earlier relationships had not been oriented toward vocational discernment. Neither had understood that the Lord had a vocational call for them—that He had a defini...

Read More

Blessing of the Christmas Manger

Posted on December 16, 2025 in: ADVENT

411

Blessing of the Christmas Manger
The beloved custom of displaying figures depicting the birth of Jesus Christ began with St. Francis of Assisi, who created the first Christmas crèche on Christmas Eve in 1223. The blessing of the manger or nativity scene may take place on the Vigil of Christmas—that is, Christmas Eve—or at another suitable time. Many families and parishes set up their mangers earlier in Advent. It is perfectly appropriate to bless the nativity scene when it is first displayed, even if the figure of the Infant Jesus has not yet been placed. When the Baby Jesus is added—t...

Read More

Christmas Creche, Tree Are Signs of Hope, Pope Says
Pope Leo XIV asked Catholics to reflect on the meaning behind Nativity scenes and brightly lit Christmas trees, and to ask God offer the gift of peace and fraternity. He also called for prayers for all those who suffer because of war and violence, saying, "We must eliminate hatred from our hearts."   VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Nativity scene and the Christmas tree are signs of faith and hope, Pope Leo XIV said. "As we contemplate them in our homes, parishes and town squares, let us ask the Lord to renew in us the gift of peace and fraternity,&quo...

Read More

Annual Catholic Appeal

ACA DONATE

English

Español

 

Latest Articles
Recently Added Galleries
Click to view album: Bowling with Bishop Reidy 2025
Click to view album: Ninety-Fifth Anniversary of the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Saint Brendan the Navigator Catholic Community
Click to view album: Episcopal Ordination of Bishop Richard F. Reidy
Click to view album: Students Called to Feed the Hungry
Signup for Weekly Newsletter

     

    Roman Catholic Diocese of Norwich
    201 Broadway
    Norwich, CT 06360-4328
    Phone: 860-887-9294