News - October 2023 RSS Feed

Join the Board of Rabbis of Greater Rhode Island together with the Jewish Alliance from 7 to 8 p.m. on Wed., Nov. 1 at Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Avenue, Providence at a prayer vigil for those taken hostage by the terrorist group Hamas. The vigil will include songs and prayers for the safe return of the over 200 innocent civilians including children, the elderly, and Holocaust survivors. This event will allow the community, both Jewish and not, to draw strength from one another and from prayer during this deeply troubling time.

There's a fundamental truth that gives us hope - that together we can do extraordinary things. Keep the Heat On will be participating in this Global Day of Giving with a goal of raising $10,000 to heat 24 houses in 24 hours. We are asking that you consider giving the gift of warmth and hope on Giving Tuesday! To support this program and make your impact mark your calendar and donate on November 28th at heatri.com/donate

By Cole DeSantis, Rhode Island Catholic Correspondent - EXETER — On Saturday, Sept. 30, the Diocesan Special Religious Education (SPRED) program organized its annual picnic at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish in Exeter. (PHOTO: COLE DESANTIS)

Celebrate Black Catholic History month and the Feast of All Saints with accomplished Catholic speaker, artist and performer ValLimar Jansen, to learn about six black Catholics who are on the road to sainthood. Hosted by St. Patrick Church and the diocesan Office of Black Catholic Ministry. (Photo provided by St. Patrick Church)

CRANSTON — The Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP) Rhode Island and the Knights of Columbus Rhode Island State Council, both members of VOAD (Volunteer Organizations Assisting in Disasters) locally and nationally, partnered to provide disaster relief services to residents of Dean Estates Apartments on Oaklawn Avenue in Cranston as well as other victims of the floods which preceded Hurricane Lee. (PHOTO: LAURA KILGUS)

Tennis and Cross-Country results and photos! (PHOTO: CHRIS JENKINS)

The prize-winning Danish-Latvian ensemble brings a truly unique and innovative chamber music experience to audiences. CARION fascinates with its carefully choreographed and dramatized performances of classical and modern works, making music on stage visible, thus adding a new dimension to traditional concert events. (Photo provided by ricmc.org)

By RICK SNIZEK, Executive Editor - JOHNSTON — In 1963, Bishop Russell J. McVinney tasked Father James Joseph Cooney to embark on a mission to establish a new Catholic parish in the city. Father Cooney took his mission very seriously, going door-to-door, encouraging residents to help him form a new parish. (PHOTO: RICK SNIZEK)

Rev. Msgr. Albert A. Kenney, S.T.L., Diocesan Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia, joined other faith leaders at a press conference held by Governor Dan McKee and Housing Secretary Stefan Pryor on Friday October 13, 2023 to discuss the state’s winter strategy to address homelessness. (Photo: Diocese of Providence)

As reports emerge of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Otis on the West Coast of Mexico, Catholic Relief Services is already launching relief efforts for those who have been injured, displaced, or otherwise affected by this storm. The Diocese of Providence invites the faithful to pray for those affected by the storm and to consider offering material support for recovery. The link to the efforts by Catholic Relief Services may be found by clicking here...

CATHOLIC MOM RHODE ISLAND - After having our first child, my husband and I considered if we would allow our children to partake in Halloween festivities. At first thought, Halloween appears to be sinful, right? Goblins, witches, ghosts, the evil one, gluttony (excess candy consumption), vampires, haunted houses, and evils spirits…no thank you! However, upon further research, we found that we shouldn’t fret, those are all things secular society wants you to think is about Halloween.

Executive Editor Rick Snizek is traveling throughout Israel and the West Bank to witness firsthand the impact of the war on the Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities. Follow his Editor’s Notebook reports on our website, www.thericatholic.com, as well as on our social media, and look for extended coverage in our November 9 edition. (PHOTO: RICK SNIZEK)

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By Cole DeSantis, Rhode Island Catholic Correspondent - WOONSOCKET — Mount Saint Charles Academy recently kicked off the first of a series of events taking place in celebration of the centenary of its founding. (PHOTO: COLE DESANTIS)

By Elizabeth Scalia - Since Oct. 7, I have been trying to understand something incomprehensible. There is a lot that has happened since that bloody date that is incomprehensible, but I don’t mean the planned slaughter of civilians and innocent children — hatred gone mad and become inhumane is not completely incomprehensible, for we see it daily: the sin is “ever before us,” as the psalmist says, though writ small.

The early church spread rapidly across the Mediterranean world. The efficient Roman roads carried missionaries such as Paul and Barnabas. The violent attempts by the Roman Empire to stop the spread of the faith only drew new converts moved by the courage and joy of the Christian martyrs. Another, equally important, element in that remarkable evangelization was the compassion and charity of those Christians.

By Jennifer Barton, Rhode Island Catholic Correspondent - PROVIDENCE — Since 2017, with a break of only one year, women have sought spiritual renewal at the Rhode Island Catholic Women’s Conference, held at the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul. It began after noting that while the Diocese of Providence offered a yearly men’s conference, there was nothing specifically for women, who have different spiritual and emotional needs. Michelle Donovan, M.A., assistant director of Faith Formation, commented that since its inception, the conference has been “well-received.”

184 couples from 66 Rhode Island parishes to participate! (Photo: RI Catholic)

By Rick Snizek, Executive Editor - PROVIDENCE — On Tuesday, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, led Catholics in the Holy Land in a day of prayer and fasting, and called for Catholics around the world to similarly observe the day for peace in Israel and Gaza. (Photo: Rick Snizek)

From Rhode Island to Rome!