Catholic Connections

St. Paul Church in Warren is now an oratory in which the extraordinary form of the Mass will be celebrated. A religious community committed to the traditional Latin Mass, and new to the Diocese of Worcester, will serve the pastoral needs of parishioners. The decree also changed the canonical status of St. Stanislaus Parish in West Warren to a territorial parish to serve the needs of the Catholic community of Warren.

Partners in Charity reached 93 percent of its $5 million goal, bringing in $4,637,869 from 11,961 gifts.

St. Anna Elementary School, St. Leo Elementary School, and St. Cecilia Parish experienced flooding. The schools closed for several days last week to assess the damage.

“Male and Female He Created Them” is the theme of this year’s Worcester Catholic Women’s Conference. Deborah Savage’s talk is titled “Return to the Garden: Man and Woman in the Order of Creation.”

On Sunday, the major relics of St. André will be honored at St. Cecilia Church in Leominster. His relics will be exposed in the main church for veneration beginnning at 8:30 a.m. A short talk on the saint’s life will be given by the custodian of the relics, Father Roman Kalladanthiyil, CSC, followed by an anointing with St. Joseph oil from the shrine in Montreal.

Following the storms that moved across the city of Leominster and surrounding towns on Monday, roads and schools were shut down and families were displaced because of flooding.

Megan Paradis, executive director of First Concern Pregnancy Resource Center, which has offices in Clinton and Marlborough, spoke at a “birthday party” for the Blessed Mother at St. Cecilia’s Parish Center on Sept. 9. Msgr. James P. Moroney, St. Cecilia’s pastor, celebrated Mass for the Nativity of Mary. The party, with cake and balloons, followed.

Becoming coach of the Saint Paul Diocesan Jr./Sr. High School boys’ soccer team which posted a 1-13 record last fall and lost nine of its 15 players to graduation, may not seem ideal, but Nathaniel Crea believes otherwise. “I couldn’t be happier that I’m coming in with such a young team,” Mr. Crea said.

The 2023 Worcester Catholic Women’s Conference will welcome Father Colin Blatchford as a guest speaker on Oct. 7 at St. Joseph School in Webster. The title of his talk is “Authentic Loving Accompaniment.”

Our hearts and prayers are with the residents of Leominster and neighboring communities as they struggle to recover from the devastating rains on Monday. In speaking to pastors in the area, I know our parishes and schools are reaching out to their parishioners, school families and neighborhoods to learn how they are faring with this disaster. Catholic Charities in Leominster is also mobilizing to assist in whatever way they can. Please keep everyone affected by this weather in your prayers, especially considering more rain is anticipated this week. Once we confirm how we can offer charitable assistance, we will announce those efforts through all our parishes in the diocese. May the Holy Spirit comfort those in search of hope during this difficult time.