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Rome became the heart of the world’s Catholic youth during the Jubilee of Youth held July 28-Aug. 3 which brought together more than one million young people from the five continents and about 146 countries.

SPENCER – The Trappist monks of St. Joseph’s Abbey live a contemplative life of prayer and work – and they have been doing so for 200 years – 75 of those years in the town of Spencer.

Worcester Catholics are among those calling for nuclear disarmament through commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the United States atomic bombings in Japan – in Hiroshima Aug. 6 and Nagasaki Aug. 9.

These extraordinary things happen when “babies turn into children of God” and the bread and wine turn into Christ’s body and blood, when couples turn into spouses and sinners into saints. “Such exceptional things deserve an exceptional place. And, St. Anne’s ... is truly an exceptional place.”

For 50 years, the Steubenville Conferences have been forming teens in the faith and deepening adults’ faith journeys. The Worcester diocesan Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry brought 99 youth and chaperones to the conference in Ohio this year.

Father Thomas F. Egan, 82, of Worcester, former pastor of Holy Family of Nazareth Church in Leominster, died July 18 after a brief illness.

“They understand the spirit and mission. … It’s strengthening families … really living out the social teachings of the Church … treating each person with dignity and respect, calling them by name, recognizing that we’re all one, and mutually helping each other to grow and become a family.”

WORCESTER – Hearkening back to the past, though things aren’t the same as they used to be, Blessed Sacrament Parish held a summer get-together Saturday – in and outside the church.

Father Thomas H. Hultquist, 76, senior priest in residence at St. George Parish in Worcester, passed away July 12 at Notre Dame Healthcare in Worcester.

As of July 9, the annual campaign had received 9,435 gifts worth $3,819,619, about 76 percent of the goal. As of the same date last year, Partners in Charity had received 10,205 gifts worth $4,005,110, about 80 percent of the goal. So the campaign is down 874 gifts and $221,141 from this time a year ago.

Bishop McManus blessed a new columbarium at St. Mary of the Hills Parish in West Boylston, at an outdoor Mass on June 21. The granite wall with 40 niches for cremated remains is across the driveway from the church, where the St. Therese of Lisieux shrine had been.

Last fall an anonymous donor offered to provide a three-to-one matching gift of $6 million to establish an endowment fund if the school community raised $2 million by June 30, according to Mrs. Jennison and a press release sent out Monday.

In an effort to make Catholic Charities of Worcester County services more well know in the Southbridge area, its regional office was rededicated by Bishop McManus, June 20.

Orthodox and Catholic Christians who participated in the ecumenical vespers that brought the clerics together raved about the beauty of the experience and the church building. It was Sunday afternoon and Bishop McManus was making his visit to St. Paul Cathedral in Worcester, one of the churches he designated as a pilgrimage site for this Jubilee Year of Hope.

LUNENBURG – St. Boniface Parish’s 75th anniversary Mass Sunday – like the parish, priests and parishioners themselves – drew newer and long-time members.

As the Worcester diocese celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, so too does St. Boniface Parish in Lunenburg.

Seminarians at the Pontifical North American College in Rome typically spend their first summer abroad – studying a language or doing mission work. Here are two reflections from seminarians on their experiences during the summer of 2024. Seminarian summer assignments for summer 2025 were announced.

The newest parish in the diocese is being named for the first millennial saint, whose canonization is set for September.