Brother Paul J. Feeney, C.F.X., 92, a devoted member of the Congregation of the Brothers of St. Francis Xavier for 75 years, died peacefully on June 24.

BROOKFIELD – From service to socials to the priests’ outreach, people connected with St. Mary Church had memories to share after the closing Mass there Saturday. Despite some sadness, there was hope.

EAST BROOKFIELD – At the last Mass at St. John the Baptist Parish, parishioners expressed sadness about losing their church and priests, and spoke of plans to keep the faith – elsewhere.

Orthodox and Catholic Christians who participated in the ecumenical vespers that brought the clerics together raved about the beauty of the experience and the church building. It was Sunday afternoon and Bishop McManus was making his visit to St. Paul Cathedral in Worcester, one of the churches he designated as a pilgrimage site for this Jubilee Year of Hope.

LUNENBURG – St. Boniface Parish’s 75th anniversary Mass Sunday – like the parish, priests and parishioners themselves – drew newer and long-time members.

As the Worcester diocese celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, so too does St. Boniface Parish in Lunenburg.

Seminarians at the Pontifical North American College in Rome typically spend their first summer abroad – studying a language or doing mission work. Here are two reflections from seminarians on their experiences during the summer of 2024. Seminarian summer assignments for summer 2025 were announced.

The newest parish in the diocese is being named for the first millennial saint, whose canonization is set for September.

“We wanted to start our own business group,” he said, “connecting people who are like us who either run our own businesses or have knowledge of what we can do to help the other parishioners within the church and even people who might not go to the church.”

STURBRIDGE/FISKDALE - Dana Babcock didn’t have time to go venerate Padre Pio’s relics. But, “I’m here,” she noted, after the Mass Bishop McManus celebrated Tuesday at St. Anne and St. Patrick Parish/St. Anne Shrine.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The world must resist the allure of modern weapons which threaten to give conflicts a ferocity surpassing that of previous wars, Pope Leo XIV said.

People from different parishes contributed to a Marian grotto honoring a beloved priest. The grotto, unveiled at St. Joan of Arc Parish in Worcester Sunday, is dedicated to Father Walter J. Riley, who was pastor of St. Anne Parish in Shrewsbury when he died suddenly on Feb. 9, 2024.

The National Centre for Padre Pio in Barto, Pennsylvania, is displaying relics of St. Padre Pio in an exhibit traveling throughout the nation and one of the stops will be at St. Anne and St. Patrick Parish in the Fiskdale section of Sturbridge.

With his music ministry, Som do Monte (Sound of the Mount), the 38-year-old Father Azevedo gives concerts in Brazil and around the world and has more than nine million followers on Instagram and more than seven million YouTube subscribers, Deacon Longhini said.

“With the rise in ‘deepfakes,’ misuse of news and political information to manipulate public opinion, and the spread of falsehoods, AI is being used by some to undermine the dignity of persons and respect for the truth.,” the letter continued. “AI systems must have human oversight and well-defined accountability in order to promote transparency, and fair democratic processes.”

Bishop McManus welcomed the 400-500 people attending the ordination in person and the 549 watching all or part of it livestreamed, and thanked them for their support.

As the Diocese of Worcester celebrates 75 years since its establishment in 1950, The Catholic Free Press took a look back at the events, people and places that helped shape the Catholic Church in Worcester County.

Staffing changes are coming this summer for several parishes – due to priests retiring, becoming a senior priest, going to a different parish, taking on specialized ministry, or taking a leave of absence.

Jonathan E. Amidon was working a well-paid job that he enjoyed. He was an echocardiographer for Boston Medical Center. “I had everything that I could have possibly needed,” the 30-year-old Worcester native said. “I had all my debts paid off, I had everything. But I was like, ‘You know, I’m not really happy. There’s something lingering.’”