“It would change your entire holiday spirit in a good way,” Mr. Kieler said. “You will get more out of it than the person you are delivering the meal to. It leaves you with a feeling of sheer joy inside. You affected somebody’s holiday so much that you can’t go away without being affected by it.”

Why does there need to be a funeral Mass for a deceased person?

“It makes me feel like you’re doing the right thing,” Mrs. Izzo said, “but on the flip side, it makes you kind of upset because we really shouldn’t exist. We shouldn’t have to exist."

About 200 people, mostly youth with some adult leaders from at least 20 parishes attended, according to Timothy Messenger, director of the diocesan Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry.

Francis R. Carroll, a business and civic leader whose philanthropy stretched from war-ravaged Korea and Vietnam to Worcester’s neediest neighborhoods, died on October 29, 2024.

At St. Joseph Parish in Charlton, eucharistic adoration for Election Day is scheduled for 9 a.m., after the weekday Mass, continuing through 8 p.m., when polls close in Massachusetts.

"As we bid our final farewell to Frank Carroll, I think he will be best remembered for his having led by example, not merely by words. His spirit of gratitude for all the graces that God bestowed upon him was his inspiration to work so tirelessly for the good of others. Frank has not just left us a legacy of programs and buildings. His greater legacy lives in all the volunteers who have been inspired by him to feed the poor, the help those in need, to remember those who served us in the armed forces, and to support those who inspire us through the arts. May God hear our prayers for you so that the choirs of angels may lead you into paradise."

The Catechism of the Catholic Church distinguishes between two judgments which souls will undergo in eternity – particular and general judgment.

Mercy Centre, an entity of Catholic Charities Worcester County, currently located at 25 West Chester St. in Worcester, is slated to relocate to 216 West Boylston St. in West Boylston in March.

WORCESTER - Pianist Olga Rogach and baritone Ron Williams will hold a free concert at Christ the King Church at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8. They call it an “informance” rather than a performance because they plan to inform the audience while they perform.

College is expensive, but Anna Maria College, Assumption University and the College of the Holy Cross have announced new financial aid policies to make themselves more accessible.

Father Andre ‘Andy’ N. Remillard, 80, of West Yarmouth, peacefully passed in his home at the Cape, surrounded by those who loved him on Oct. 24.

In his book Purgatory, author Michael J. Taylor asks, “Is the concept of purgatory disappearing from Catholic belief and consciousness?”

“Nobody can understand child loss unless they’ve been through it. ... It’s different than any other loss.” So says Teresa “Terry” Gentile, a member of St. George Parish in Worcester, who co-leads the Pietà Support Group for Bereaved Parents there.

WORCESTER – The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops designates October as “Respect Life Month.” The bishops encourage the faithful to reflect on the dignity of every human life and to work toward building a culture that respects that dignity. In Worcester County, two agencies that live out this work to support families, mothers and babies are Visitation House, a live-in program that creates a home, and Pernet Family Health Service’s maternal and child nursing program, which provides home visits.

The diocesan Commission for Women will be hosting their annual mini-retreat at St. Anne Parish in Shrewsbury on Nov. 16. Francesca LaRosa, an internationally recognized Catholic composer whose music is played in churches throughout the world, will present.

This fall, she ranks second in scoring for the field hockey team. Even when she’s not leading the Knights on the field, she helps out in other ways. She keeps score for the boys’ basketball team and she’s also helped out with the first-down chains during football games.

The U.S. Catechism goes on to teach that after particular judgment, the soul “enters heaven, purgatory or hell.” But, what, according to Church teaching, is heaven? What is hell?

Msgr. Scollen said he was at St. Peter Claver in 1968 when a riot broke out after the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

The St. Thomas More Society of Worcester County will honor the following individuals at its 66th annual Red Mass on Oct. 27. The awardees are listed here.