Responding to President Barack Obama’s public support of “gay marriage,” Worcester Bishop McManus said in a statement, “President Obama’s public support of the redefinition of marriage is deeply saddening. As a society we must take every positive measure to strengthen marriage and the family, the very cornerstone of our society. The people of this country, especially our children, deserve better. I pray that in the end this Administration will act justly to uphold and protect marriage as the union of one man and one woman and by so doing serve the true good of all persons.”

The internal architecture of Assumption College’s new Tinsley Campus Ministry Center connects the chapel and the center “where the Blessed Sacrament is preserved,” Bishop McManus noted in his homily at the dedication last Friday.
“In this space, through personal prayer and adoration, students will come to love and serve him more reverently,” the Bishop said.

By Tanya Connor

WORCESTER – Local clergy were some of the highest-level donors to the radiothon which raised $47,624 for Emmanuel Radio April 11-13, according to Nick Everett, general manager.
The fundraiser was to help WNEB 1230 AM continue broadcasting Catholic programs from Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) and to make needed capital improvements, Mr. Everett said. He said the station’s board also hopes to create local programs to broadcast from their studio in St. Paul Cathedral’s old school next to the rectory.

ATHOL – Divine Mercy Sunday will be celebrated in the North Quabbin Catholic Community in a way it never has before.
This weekend, at each of the four cluster churches, framed copies of the Divine Mercy image will begin week-long stays at the homes of parishioners.
This devotion is based on private revelations to Saint Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun who died in 1938. In recent years, the Divine Mercy message has spread throughout the world.

By Tanya Connor

WORCESTER – A Catholic college must have the courage to speak uncomfortable truths if needed, Jack P. Calareso, president of Anna Maria College, said at the fifth annual Adopt-A-Student Recognition Dinner March 29 at Mechanics Hall.
He was using what he called his favorite statement from “Ex Corde Ecclesiae,” Pope John Paul II’s 1990 apostolic constitution on Catholic universities which, despite its positive tone, drew controversy for things it said about the relationship between bishops and universities.

Conversation With Bishop McManus to air beginning March 31

By Tanya Connor

Seeds planted at the Mustard Seed were starting to grow as confirmation students returned to Christ the King Church in Worcester Saturday.
But that’s the end of the story (for now). Join the journey for the bigger picture.
It’s about 9 a.m. March 10. Twenty-seven teenagers and three adult leaders who just attended Mass at Christ the King Church in Worcester are hearing from the pastor, Msgr. Thomas J. Sullivan, about today’s confirmation retreat: “The Spirit in the City.”

BOSTON (CNS) — A federal appeals court heard arguments April 4 in two cases related not to the legality of same-sex marriage but to the tax, health and pension benefits of marriage.
The cases, which are expected to eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court, have drawn national attention from Catholic and other religious leaders, who say the Defense of Marriage Act passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996 “reflects the united judgment of Congress and the president on a matter of basic public policy.”

With students’ help, Bishop McManus told the congregation that packed St. Paul Cathedral Monday about the world’s most important announcement – and a key American document.
He was preaching at the annual Mass for Life for the Feast of the Annunciation.
“What a marvelous witness you give to our … society,” the bishop told students from several Catholic schools in the diocese who helped fill the cathedral.

A Worcester County grand jury indicted Father Lowe B. Dongor Friday on charges of possessing child pornography and larceny of more than $250.
Father Dongor, 36, is believed to have fled the country, possibly to the Philippines, his family home.

Parents with children in college are well aware of soaring higher education costs.
Father James S. Mazzone, director of vocations, can certainly relate.
Working within a tight budget, his office helps fund the education of the 21 seminarians preparing for the priesthood.
“After serving as vocation director for several years, I now find myself able to speak about these expenses with many parents I cross paths with, who are facing the same challenges in their own households,” he said, explaining that he often gets into conversations about tuition, textbooks, room and board and other expenses.