Men from three different countries are scheduled to be ordained at a special Mass at 10 a.m. Dec. 15 at St. Paul Cathedral. Deacon Juan-Sebastian Sanchez Guzman, from Colombia, is to be ordained a priest. Vijaya Sagar Gundiga, expected to be the first person from India to be ordained for the Worcester Diocese, and Thiago Moises Da Silva, the second Brazilian, are becoming transitional deacons, preparing for priesthood.

When Maryknoll Father Robert Jalbert - a Southbridge native - went to East Africa in 1976 as a young missionary-in-training, he was excited about all he could offer to the poor. He never dreamed that the poor had something to offer him. he said.

WHITINSVILLE – St. Patrick Parish has been helping its people deal with the turmoil caused by the recent revelations about sexual abuse in the Church. Monday it hosted Francesco Cesareo, president of Assumption College in Worcester and president of the National Review Board, to give people a broader picture of the issue and how to respond to it.

Anna Maria College is restarting its master’s degree in pastoral ministry, starting two certificate programs as part of this graduate program, and adding a bachelor’s degree in theology, according to Marc Tumeinski, director of the graduate program in theology.

Jesse Trees used to be a popular Advent custom, according to Linda Brink, religious education coordinator at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Dudley. And some people are making them again with their own creative touches.

Humor helped get serious messages across at Saturday’s Women’s Conference. Susie Lloyd's talk was titled, “Be Not Afraid of the Puddle in the High Chair,” reminiscent of an experience of eating out with family which she recounted humorously for conference-goers.

WORCESTER – At the 2018 Worcester Catholic Women’s Conference, the last presentation of the day was given by Susan Conroy, the author of “Mother Teresa’s Lessons of Love and Secrets of Sanctity” and several other inspirational books. She once worked with St. Teresa of Kolkata by helping her serve the “poorest of the poor” in India, and she discovered what makes someone a saint.

Helen Alvare - Janet Smith - Mother Mary Assumpta Long Presented by the Diocese of Worcester and held at Assumption College on Nov. 10, the sold-out Worcester Catholic Women's Conference welcomed hundreds from the diocese and beyond. It included presentations by highly esteemed Catholic lay and religious women, live music, lunch and many vendor and nonprofit booths.

LEOMINSTER - Serra Club Worcester North has honored retired Judge Edward J. Reynolds for his 50 years as a member. Judge Reynolds said his father, Jim, was involved with the North club from its inception. Judge Reynolds said he followed in his father’s footsteps and became a member in 1968.

LEOMINSTER – A teaching coach, a graduate who doesn’t let a handicap stop him, and a beloved deceased Catholic Schools Office member were honored Nov. 8 at the 11th annual St. Paul Catholic Schools Consortium Dinner.

A Vatican-requested delay in adopting practices that are expected to boost accountability among U.S. bishops in their response to clergy sex abuse will not be voted on during the bishops' fall general assembly going on now. “I was disappointed, but not surprised,” Bishop McManus said Monday. “The laity are looking for the bishops to be held to the same accountability as the priests."

St. Denis Catholic Women’s Council at St. Denis Parish is marking 100 years of existence with a Mass and banquet on Nov. 11, Veterans Day, after months of anniversary activities. Less that two weeks after the end of World War I – on Nov. 24, 1918 – the St. Denis branch of Catholic Women’s War Service Council was formally organized.

All week schools around the diocese hosted and presented various events to Discover Today's Catholic Schools in New England. A sampling of events and photo album of activities give us a glimpse.

The Massachusetts Veterans’ Service department has sent out a request that churches and public buildings with bells ring them at 11 a.m., Nov. 11 “to recognize the World War I centennial of the Armistice on this Veterans Day.”

“Begin to model your life after Jesus. That’s how we transform the world – not by shouting,” Ennie Hickman told hundreds of high school students Sunday at the end of a youth rally with the theme “Transformed.”

A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Nov. 10 for Deacon Paul J. Dacri, 65, who died Wednesday at UMass Medical Center after a short illness. The Mass will be held in St. John's Church, 40 Temple St., Worcester, were he has served as deacon since 2012.

The superintendent presented challenges facing Catholic schools. A teacher suggested they pray. The response? Eucharistic adoration in schools throughout the diocese.

Catholic Charities, Worcester County has opened an office and home care center at 200 Main St. in Milford. The new office will allow Catholic Charities to become more involved in a larger, more diverse, community, according to Timothy J. McMahon, executive director.

During this 50th anniversary year of “Humanae Vitae,” those attending the Worcester Catholic Women’s Conference will hear from an expert on the subject. Janet E. Smith, Ph.D., author of “Self-Gift: Essays on ‘Humanae Vitae’ and the Thought of John Paul II” will speak at the conference, Saturday, Nov. 10 at Assumption College. The title of her talk is, “The Sexual Mess that We Are In and How We Got Here.”

By Catholic News Service SPENCER (CNS) – A funeral Mass will be celebrated Nov. 3 at St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer for Trappist Father Thomas Keating, a leading figure in the centering prayer movement that got its start in the 1970s. He died Oct. 25 at the abbey.