News - March 2025 RSS Feed

By Allison Shinskey, Rhode Island Catholic Correspondent - ROVIDENCE — St. Pius V Parish is providing a unique opportunity this Lent for all who wish to confess their sins, thanks to a Dominican priest with a special mission straight from the Vatican. (PHOTO COURTESY OF FATHER JOHN MARIA DEVANEY)

Rt. Rev. Exarch Joseph S. Haggar, 85, Pastor Emeritus of St. Basil the Great Melkite Greek Catholic Parish, Lincoln, died March 23, 2025. Visitation will be this Friday, April 4, from 2 – 8 p.m. in St. Basil the Great Melkite Greek Catholic Church, 15 Skyview Dr., Lincoln, (this includes a Byzantine Funeral Prayer Service from 6:30 – 8 p.m.). The Byzantine Funeral Divine Liturgy will be celebrated on Saturday, April 5, at 10 a.m., in St. Basil the Great Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Lincoln. Burial will be in St Basil Cemetery, Cumberland.

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Your Lent Questions, Answered with Rev. Marcel L. Taillon, Pastor, St. Thomas More Parish, Narragansett. More for your Lenten Journey at dioceseofprovidence.org/lent.

By KATHLEEN TROOST-CRAMER, Rhode Island Catholic Correspondent - Editor’s Note: This article is the second in a series on the Catholic viewpoints of reproductive technology. - PROVIDENCE — In-vitro fertilization (IVF) has recently made big news as a result of President Donald J. Trump’s Feb. 18 executive order directing greater access and affordability for the procedure. Reflecting the clear and consistent teaching of the Church that IVF is a grave moral evil, Bishops Robert E. Barron and Daniel E. Thomas recently issued a statement urging the administration to instead support greater access to restorative reproductive medicine.

By Jennifer Barton, Rhode Island Catholic Correspondent - PROVIDENCE — Three faiths, one ancient philosopher. How do Jews, Christians and Muslims interpret and embrace Aristotle in each of their theological teachings? Providence College’s Jewish-Catholic Theological Exchange addressed this question on Tuesday, March 4, in a discussion called “Aristotle Among the Believers: How Jews, Christians, and Muslims Made the Philosopher Their Own.”

By Cole DeSantis, Rhode Island Catholic Correspondent - PROVIDENCE — Lent is a liturgical season filled with anticipation. As the Church prepares for Easter, the most important holy day in the Church calendar, the faithful prepare to reflect upon and celebrate that which is the source of renewed life. They are called to see their own life as a microcosm of God’s Plan of salvation: the human race fell into sin and death, which was overturned by Christ; likewise, each individual is struggling with sin in their own life, and the more they, by God’s grace, grow in union with God, the more they partake in new life in Christ. (PHOTO: COLE DESANTIS)

The Feast of the Annunciation is one of the most important in the Church calendar. It celebrates the actual Incarnation of Our Savior the Word made flesh in the womb of His mother, Mary.

Rev. Paul J. Laporte, 85, Pastor Emeritus of St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Coventry, died on March 20, 2025. Visitation will be this Tuesday, March 25, from 4 to 6 p.m. in St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6 St. Vincent de Paul Street, Coventry (followed by a parish Mass at 6 p.m.). Additional visitation in St. Paul the Apostle Church, 116A Danielson Pike, Foster, this Wednesday, March 26, from 8 to 9:45 a.m. A Concelebrated Mass of Christian Burial for the repose of Father's soul will immediately follow at 10 a.m. at St. Paul the Apostle Church, Foster. Burial will be in Notre Dame Cemetery, Pawtucket.

The Catholic Athletic League hosted the 2025 basketball championship March 8-9 and March 15-16 at area Catholic high schools. Hundreds of young athletes took part in the games. (PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER JENKINS)

The annual Chrism Mass is set for Mon., April 14 at 6 p.m. in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, Providence - Archbishop Richard G. Henning, Bishop of Boston, will be our celebrant and homilist. (Photo: Rick Snizek)

What is the purpose of dating? How do we date in today’s culture? What is appropriate for dating versus engagement and marriage? Jackie will share the what’s, how’s, and why’s of dating, sex and marriage in this talk! Join us in the Cathedral of Saints Peter & Paul on Friday, April 4 beginning at 7 p.m. Click to register or for more info!

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Your Lent Questions, Answered with Rev. Marcel L. Taillon, Pastor, St. Thomas More Parish, Narragansett More for your Lenten Journey at dioceseofprovidence.org/lent.

PROVIDENCE — Providence College (PC) has announced that a new Master of Arts (MA) in Catholic Theology and Culture will be offered beginning in the Fall 2025 semester. This new program is in addition to two other graduate programs in Catholic Theology which are the Master of Arts in Theology, and the Master of Theological Studies. The application is currently open, and students may complete the program full-time or part-time with evening courses.

By Kathleen Troost-Cramer, Rhode Island Catholic Correspondent PROVIDENCE — The Jubilee Year of Hope is the perfect time to reflect on what hope really is — and according to the panelists at the 2025 Providence Catholicism and Culture Symposium, most people today get the definition wrong. (PHOTO COURTESY OF PORTSMOUTH ABBEY SCHOOL)

CELEBRATING ST. JOSEPH’S DAY MARCH 19 (Photo: Allison Shinsky)

St. Joseph, the model of humility, and one of the world's greatest saints, is often mentioned as being silent. This silence speaks volumes.

Rev. Richard M. Friedrichs, 80, Pastor Emeritus, St. Catherine Parish, Warwick, died on Monday, March 17, 2025. Calling hours will be held in St. Gregory the Great Church, 41 Sandro Dr, Warwick on Sunday, March 23, from 4 - 7 p.m. A concelebrated Mass of Christian Burial will be offered in St. Gregory the Great Church, Warwick, on Monday, March 24 at 10 a.m. Burial will be in St. Charles Parish Cemetery, Blackstone, Mass.

Executive Director of St. Martin de Porres Center honored for outstanding contributions to community (Photo: Laura Kilgus)