Father Alan J. Martineau, ordained June 23 in St. Paul Cathedral, said that he first thought of the priesthood as being interesting when he watched his pastor, Father James F. Hoey, read notes before Mass, then deliver a homily from memory.

Lynne Martineau, a member of Mary, Queen of the Rosary Parish in Spencer and mother of Father Alan J. Martineau, wasn’t the only mother attending the ordination which nearly filled St. Paul Cathedral Saturday. Luz-Elena Guzman came in from Colombia to celebrate with her son Juan-Sebastian Sanchez Guzman, who was ordained a transitional deacon, in preparation for priesthood.

WORCESTER – As Notre Dame Health Care celebrated its 25th anniversary Sunday, a sister who’s seen it from different vantage points recalled the nuns’ initial reactions to the new place.

Permanent deacons were challenged to promote family life and go out into the world, fired by the examples of Jesus and local clergy. Father Warren Savage was speaking for the 40th anniversary of the permanent diaconate in the diocese Saturday at St. Joan of Arc Parish.

The permanent diaconate, restored to the Catholic Church on Sept. 29, 1964, by the Second Vatican Council, became a reality for the Diocese of Worcester on June 24, 1978, with the ordination of 20 permanent deacons at St. Paul Cathedral.

Bishop McManus has appointed Michael J. Clark assistant superintendent of secondary schools in the Worcester Diocese. Mr. Clark, who will begin working on July 2, was recommended for the new position by David Perda, superintendent of Catholic schools. He will work directly with the principals and staffs of St. Bernard Central Catholic High School in Fitchburg and Holy Name Central Catholic Junior/Senior High School and St. Peter-Marian Central Catholic Junior/Senior High School, both in Worcester.

WORCESTER – A new shrine – a response to a prominent devotion among Hispanics – was dedicated in the vestibule at St. Paul Cathedral June 3. Bishop McManus blessed the shrine to the Divino Niño (the Divine Child, Jesus) following the Spanish community’s Corpus Christi Mass and procession.

June 7, 2018, WORCESTER, MA –Most Rev. Robert J. McManus, Bishop of the Diocese of Worcester, has announced the appointment of three parish administrators, five associate pastors and a transitional deacon. Three new priests will be ordained on June 23 at the Cathedral of St. Paul. The bishop has also announced the assignment of three priests to specialized ministries, the retirement of four priests, and his approval of assignments for Augustinians of the Assumption. Unless otherwise noted, the assignments are effective July 1, 2018. CLICK TITLE FOR COMPLETE RELEASE

Photo albums of high school graduations are online

A diocesan women’s conference – inspired by insufficient catechesis decades ago and men’s conferences recently – is to be held Nov. 10 at Assumption College. It’s an attempt to help women serve God and others.

You can make a Cursillo – a retreat-like weekend – once in your life. But you can spend the rest of your life living out what you gain there. Leaders of the Cursillo movement in the Worcester Diocese are working on new – and old – ways to help people do that.

African children and teenagers are performing a play written by a fellow parishioner that teaches them how to act. The Singing Stars children’s choir from the African community at St. Peter Parish-St. Andrew the Apostle Mission is putting on “Pricked Rose” at 7 p.m. June 1 in the gym at St. Peter Central Catholic Elementary School, 865 Main St.

Michele Norris, award-winning journalist, spoke at the 172nd commencement of the College of the Holy Cross, held Friday in the DCU Center, where 750 diplomas were bestowed.

“Everybody was distraught” upon learning that St. Bernard Parish was being merged with St. Camillus de Lellis Parish across the city, Maureen Hayes said recently. That was in 2010. But that sorrow has turned to joy.

WORCESTER – “The Catholic Church stands with you,” Bishop McManus told immigrants at a special Pentecost Mass Saturday evening at St. Paul Cathedral. He tried to assure those who fear having to leave the United States that the Church will do everything it can to protect them. 

Lay people are called to change the culture through the lens of the Church, but in the United States they have not picked up the baton, Bishop McManus said during a presentation about physician assisted suicide May 17.

Prayers and praise, presentations and presence were his birthday gifts. He received them with his trademark warm smile, outstretched hands and rousing rendition of “Danny Boy.” The guest of honor, on his 90th birthday – Saturday, May 12, was none other than Daniel P. Reilly, bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Worcester.

Recently, Bishop McManus asked the priests and laity of the diocese to pray for the immigrant community on Pentecost weekend. It is very fitting because on Pentecost we celebrate the birthday of the Church. It is not race, color of skin, or place of origin that makes the Church, but it is the Holy Spirit – the source of unity and human solidarity.

Developing a relationship with Jesus, through his Mother, was at the heart of two talks given to healthcare professionals May 10 and 11. Sister Angela de Fatima Coelho, a medical doctor from Portugal, was special guest at the 14th annual Divine Mercy Medicine, Bioethics & Spirituality Conference, held at the College of the Holy Cross

The Worcester Diocese will conduct a capital campaign over the next two years to address “critical diocesan and parish capital issues,” Bishop McManus announced this week. The campaign will be conducted by Guidance in Giving Inc., the bishop said.