Msgr. James P. Moroney, a former St. Paul’s rector and now pastor of St. Cecilia Parish in Leominster, tied the celebration to U.S. history in his homily.

WORCESTER – An empty stable. A teen drop-in. Even a first kiss. These were memories shared after St. Christopher Parish’s final Sunday Mass last weekend. The parish merged Wednesday, along with Our Lady of the Rosary Parish, into Our Lady of Providence Parish.

With the decree, Bishop McManus promulgated the seventh edition of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, or ERDs, as particular law in the Worcester diocese, effective July 1.

As of Wednesday, the Partners in Charity Appeal had raised $4,101,734, achieving 84 percent of its $4.8 million goal and leaving $780,452 needed to reach the diocesan target. The appeal has received 806 more gifts and $396,355 more in contributions than it had by this time last year.

(OSV News) – Ahead of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ annual observance of Religious Freedom Week, OSV News spoke with Emily Schumacher-Novak, associate director of education and outreach for the USCCB’s Secretariat of Justice and Peace.

MARLBOROUGH – Sister Yvette Beford, SSA, (Sr. Marie Anne Alma) 98, a Sister of St. Anne died June 17 at Alliance Health at Marie Esther in Marlborough following a decline in health. Born in Worcester, she was the daughter of Arthur and Alma (Leclaire) Beford.

On Saturday, June 6, Noah Hajdu carried a 130-pound wooden cross to the top of Mount Wachusett to honor Jesus Christ.

The “Remembrance Garden Healing with Hope,” on the lawn between Sacred Heart of Jesus Church and its parish office building, was blessed Sunday by the pastor, Father William C. Konicki, with parishioners’ help. Children placed candles on the block-like pavers engraved with names of deceased or living persons, or inspirational quotes.

The bell had been held mostly in storage since the church was demolished in 2018 to make way for CitySquare, a downtown project featuring apartments, office spaces, a hotel and a medical center.

WORCESTER – A boy who always wanted to be a priest. Another son also inclined to God. A fellow seminarian with an open door – and so much more. These were among ways that family and friends of the diocese’s new priests described them after their ordination Saturday at St. Paul Cathedral.

My vocation began very simply: as an altar server at my parish.

You never know who God will call to become a priest. Deacon John P. Sullivan will answer God’s call when he’s ordained on Saturday, June 13, at St. Paul Cathedral.

Plans to repaint the sanctuary began about a year ago. Mr. Folley, 40, of Gardner, and his associates, Kevin Soraci of Barrington, New Hampshire, and Shawn Vales of Montclair, New Jersey, began working on the project in mid-April by applying solvents to remove varnish that had turned brown and to reveal the original colors. Then they brought the murals back to life, including repainting wings on angels that had disappeared over the years.

Bishop McManus has announced changes in assignments for several priests, all effective July 1.

While Christopher Aubrey worked for more than 20 years as an auto mechanic, some of his coworkers and customers called him “Father Chris” because they knew he was interested in becoming a priest. It’s finally about to happen. He’s scheduled to be ordained a priest on June 13 at St. Paul Cathedral.

As bills to legalize physician-assisted suicide in Massachusetts are again before the legislature, Bishop McManus has called for Catholics to voice their opposition.

The letter says that, effective July 1, St. Christopher and Our Lady of the Rosary parishes will be merged into Our Lady of Providence Parish, which will use its present St. Bernard Church and Our Lady of the Rosary Church for Masses. St. Christopher Church will close.

...A parish must be able to provide vibrant liturgical life, faith formation, pastoral outreach, and opportunities for fellowship and service. These elements help foster a living and active community of faith that can effectively invite others into a relationship with Christ and carry forward the Church’s mission of evangelization. The plan being announced today seeks to strengthen parish life in North Worcester so that our parishes may more effectively serve the needs of today and of the foreseeable future....

Two Mercy Centre teams defeated St. John’s teams to reach the championship game where they tied, 13-13, to share the title. The May 19 tournament was much more about having fun than winning or losing.