It is often said that death comes in threes, and in the Providence Diocese we’ve had that, plus one more, in recent weeks. Four of our priests – Fr. Joseph Besse, Fr. Anthony Carmone, Fr. John Carty and Msgr. Norman Metsy – have completed their earthly pilgrimage and have returned to the Lord. Our four senior priests had long and good lives, serving the Church with devotion and love in a variety of ministries.
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That’s the question some folks might be asking themselves if they read a recent Catholic News Service article about the spiritual practices of our late Holy Father.
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A long, long time ago I heard a story about a devout little boy named Jimmy who walked past his parish church everyday on his way to school. Remembering the presence of Christ in the tabernacle of the church, each day as he passed by Jimmy made the Sign of the Cross and said simply, “Hello Jesus, it’s Jimmy.”
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O the snow, the beautiful snow,
Filling the sky and the earth below!
Over the house-tops, over the street,
Over the heads of the people you meet.
(John Whitaker Watson)more
The holidays brought with them a welcome truce in the battle over national health care reform. But as surely as the snow flying in January, the debate will begin again, and as it does so, there are lots of reasons to be concerned about the legislation that’s emerging from Congress.
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One of the things I enjoy most about the Christmas Season is the music – the beautiful carols and hymns that are a traditional part of the season.
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When I was named a bishop seventeen years ago, one of my seminary classmates called to offer his congratulations and prayerful support. He added, though, “Frankly, Tom, when I heard that one of our classmates was named a bishop, yours wasn’t the first name that came to mind.”
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If I were to nominate the most intense professional sport in Rhode Island, it wouldn’t be baseball, basketball, hockey or football. Without a doubt it’d be politics, and in case you’ve missed it, the new season is underway.
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And so it begins – the Year of Evangelization in the Diocese of Providence. It is, I’m convinced, one of most important programs in the recent history of the Diocese. It’s an initiative filled with enormous potential, but one that requires all of us working together with personal dedication, enthusiasm and joy.
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