The calendar of the ancient world followed closely the changing of seasons: the plantings of spring and the harvestings of autumn, the brilliance of summer and the gloom of winter. What started as an … more

BLOCK ISLAND — Mary Donnelly passed away peacefully at her home on May 12, 2022, surrounded by her loving family. Mary was 94 years old, born December 14, 1927, to Frank and Rosina Shaw of … more

The Pharisee and the tax collector are presented to the worshipping community in this Sunday’s Gospel as models of prayer: the one to be shunned; the other to be emulated. The Pharisee’s … more

PROVIDENCE — Local youth and adults were honored at this year’s diocesan Catholic Youth Ministry and Scout Awards, held at the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul on Sunday, March 5. Bishop … more

“I will give you shepherds after my own heart.” Jer 3:15 In 1992, three months before I was ordained a priest, Saint Pope John Paul II offered an Apostolic Exhortation concerning … more

PROVIDENCE — In a resounding inaugural event on Dec. 1, the Young Adult Evangelization ministry successfully launched its much-anticipated First Fridays program. This monthly initiative, … more

The premier English language poet of the last century, T.S.Eliot, was quoting Beaudelaire, the distinguished French language poet of the 19th century, when he wrote, "The spirit kills; it is the … more

Okay, I have a confession to make. I support the sale of contraceptives. I don’t want to, and I don’t like it, but I do. I’ll explain in a moment, but first, a little background. more

At the entrance road to Mount St. Rita Health Center, the former novitiate of the Sisters of Mercy in Cumberland, is a striking statue of an impressively winged angel facing three small kneeling … more

It’s that special time of the year again for kids in the northern hemisphere as they start heading back to school. And for those who have discovered the fun of learning, school is an adventure! … more

MEXICO CITY — Feliciano Castro, age 63, was called to the house of the Lord on April 30, 2022, in Mexico City. As a devout practicing Catholic and faithful believer in Jesus Christ, his Mass of … more

PROVIDENCE — Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, and Imam Shaykh Abdool Rahman Khan, of the grassroots group Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), were two of the high-profile … more

Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs, who kicked the winning field goal in this year’s Super Bowl, is a deeply committed Catholic, who isn’t shy about proclaiming his faith publicly. … more

On a cool Roman morning in November of 1998, Bishop Thomas J. Tobin arrived at the Apostolic Palace for his ad limina audience with the pope. John Paul II named the now 50-year-old Tobin a bishop six … more

I have a unique relationship with Mary. Like any mother and son, we’ve gone through ups and downs together. As a child, praying the rosary was often punishment for breaking the rules, usually … more

It was probably about 25 years ago that Values Clarification techniques first appeared on the educational scene – including public schools, parish schools and religious education programs. more

Two new books concerning Catholic New England offer compelling reading. more

The secular world was heartened a couple of months ago by the headline that cited a substantial reduction in teenage abortions among those girls who had been fitted with internal contraception devises. more

A few Sundays ago, the Gospel featured Jesus’ disciples asking, “Increase our faith.” Happily Pope Francis’ first encyclical, “The Light of Faith,” celebrates faith’s Scriptural, spiritual, ecclesial and social consequences. In our era when the Christian faith at the heart of Catholicism is so misunderstood, mocked or ignored, the pontiffs’ words are most welcomed. Amid the secular considerations that preoccupy today’s unbelieving society, the pope insists that Christians “profess their faith in God’s tangible and powerful love, which really does act in history and determines its final destiny: a love that can be encountered, a love fully revealed in Christ’s passion, death and resurrection.” more

“Seventy is the sum of our years, or eighty if we are strong, and most of them are fruitless toil, for they pass quickly and we drift away.” (Ps 90:10) These words of the Bible have … more