February 2nd is, of course, Groundhog Day, when lots of Americans pause early in the morning to watch a furry little rodent from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania predict the weather for the next six weeks....
The 10 a.m. Christmas morning Holy Mass from the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, Providence with Most Rev. Thomas J. Tobin, Bishop of Providence will be live streamed from our diocesan YouTube channel - click to watch!
Christmas is now upon us, a time when we joyfully celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It seems to me that the meaning of this season can be found in just one word — “Emmanuel” — which means “God is with us.”.....
As it has from the beginning of the pandemic, the Diocese of Providence will continue to cooperate fully with state directives regarding the response to the pandemic.
I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who doesn’t like Christmas music. Oh, there might be a few Grinches out there somewhere, but I’ve yet to meet them. Of course some folks favor...
Bishop Thomas J. Tobin visited the diocesan Emmanuel House homeless shelter on Thanksgiving to lead a short prayer service where he offered a blessing before helping to serve a traditional turkey dinner to the guests.
Along with the prophets of the Old Testament, particularly Isaiah, and with our Blessed Mother, the Virgin Mary, one of the lead characters of the Advent Season is John the Baptist. In the liturgy of Advent John appears in the Gospels especially on the second and third Sundays.
One of the most intriguing incidents in the early ministry of Jesus involved the cleansing of a leper. The Gospel of Mark (1: 40-45) records that a man with leprosy approached Jesus, knelt before him, and begged to be cured. Jesus, “moved with pity” cured the man but then “warned him sternly” not to tell anyone what had happened. “See that you tell no one anything,” Jesus demanded.
I don’t travel too much anymore. I don’t look forward to it and I don’t enjoy it, especially now with the extra burden of all of the Covid restrictions, as necessary as they might be. When I do have to travel, I’m always anxious to get home again and to settle back into my routine.
In his canticle, Zechariah rejoiced that the Lord had come to the People of Israel to save them from their enemies, from those who hated them. But it begs the question: Who is the enemy today? It’s a good question since, according to one count, the word enemy (or “enemies”) is found in the Bible 372 times! So, who are our enemies?
It is October, the month of the Holy Rosary. And it is harvest time, when farms and gardens produce their abundant fruit. For those two reasons, among others, it seems especially appropriate that we focus once again on the beauty and power of the Holy Rosary. And there’s no better place to turn for our reflection than St. John Paul’s beautiful Apostolic Letter, “The Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”
