Inside the quiet room at the heart of St. Carlo Acutis Early Learning Centers. By Melissa Ilski, Executive Director, St. Carlo Acutis Early Learning Centers The first time someone walks into an atrium, it may strike her as unremarkable. Usually bright and simple, with low shelving and nothing behind glass or out of reach, it can seem sparse, even small.However, what soon becomes remarkable is the quiet. It is an unusual silence of children deeply absorbed in their work, their serious play. A four-year-old sets a small chalice on a child-sized altar, slowly, with both hands. Another thoughtfully moves wooden…

By Emily Clark Deacon Ernest F. “Ernie” Hart will be ordained to the priesthood at a Mass celebrated by Bishop Frank J. Caggiano on Saturday, November 21 at 11 am at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Fairfield.  He currently serves this parish as a permanent deacon. Ordained in the Diocese of Brooklyn in 2011, Deacon Hart was assigned to the parish of  St. Mary Magdalene in Springfield Gardens, Queens and later accepted the role of diocesan general counsel in Connecticut in 2024.         Prior to his studies for the priesthood, Deacon Hart was a deputy commissioner for the New York…

Please be seated. So, my dear friends, allow me to ask you a very personal question. If the Lord made it clear to you at this very moment that you would not live to see tomorrow’s sunrise, what would change in your life? What are some of the things you were planning to do today that suddenly would not seem all that important, so that you would lay them aside? And perhaps, for you and for me, the things we have been procrastinating on, putting off until tomorrow, next week, or next year, would suddenly take on a great urgency.…

Are the Church Fathers still relevant today? Bishop Frank Caggiano and co-host Steve Lee welcome back author Mike Aquilina to talk about his new book, The Church Fathers for Our Time (Emmaus Road Publishing), and why the wisdom of the early Church speaks so directly to the 21st century. The problems we think are new, Mike explains, were already present in the Roman world, and the Fathers largely settled them by winning the hearts and minds of a skeptical, often hostile culture. He shows how ideas we take for granted, like universal human dignity, victims’ rights and ethics in warfare,…

By Joe Pisani Seven men, with seven different livelihoods but one calling to serve the Lord as permanent deacons, came together at a pontifical Mass recently and were called forward by Bishop Frank J. Caggiano. They knelt and placed their hands on the Bible he held as he said, “Take this Book of Holy Scripture, be faithful in handing on the Word of God, so that it may grow strong in the hearts of His people.” Each man then gave his assent by stating “Amen.” This Rite of Institution of Lectors celebrated at St. Augustine Cathedral on November 8was a…

By Laura Brennan GREENWICH — The Steubenville conference in Massachusetts, and Taylor Tejada’s encounter with Jesus, was a month-old memory that echoed in his present day like a call: “What could we do to bring more youth to our community?” Taylor answered the call and helped start the Sacred Heart Church youth group in 2024. It has grown to nearly 40 high schoolers. Taylor had received an invitation to the St. Aloysius youth group in New Canaan, where he was welcomed, and it ultimately led to his attendance at Steubenville. He wanted that for the youth of his own parish,…

By Kathy-Ann Gobin RIDGEFIELD – It was a jubilant celebration for St. Elizabeth Seton Parish as they marked 50 years of faith, service, and fellowship. “We gather on this absolutely beautiful morning to celebrate a golden anniversary of this parish family,” said Bishop Frank J. Caggiano, who celebrated the special Mass with Pastor Alphonse Arokiam, Pastor Emeritus Joseph A. Prince and other concelebrants, including priests who served at the parish over the years. “You and I gather in this beautiful space to celebrate the life that you have lived together for 50 years, a place where people’s hearts are lifted,…

By Emily Clark FAIRFIELD – A Mass celebrating people with special needs drew families, friends and staff of Saint Catherine Center for Special Needs to Holy Cross Church on November 1. In what many called a “joyous occasion,” evidenced by the continuous smiles and waves, Bishop Frank J. Caggiano confirmed three young adults and gave the Holy Eucharist to three First Communicants. Three additional young men received both sacraments. Following the Gospel, Laura Grozier, Executive Director of Saint Catherine Center, presented the six Confirmands to the bishop who asked each of them to stand and be recognized by their community…

By Emily Clark DARIEN – For years, the Catholic Academy of Bridgeport has been a “guiding light” for students in Connecticut’s largest city, giving them not only an education but also a safe environment and endless opportunities they may not otherwise have had. According to Angela Pohlen, Executive Director, that is due, in large part, to the generosity of donors and alumni, many of whom turned out for CAB’s “Guiding Lights Gala” on October 29 at Woodway Country Club. “The event was a resounding success, and the incredible faith, goodness and generosity in the room were palpable, with over $900,000…

By Kathy-Ann Gobin DANBURY – Living the three classic principles of the social doctrine of the Church — human dignity, solidarity and subsidiarity — was the message of Monsignor Thomas Powers, Rector of the Pontifical North American College, at the Catholic Charities’ annual breakfast fundraiser. “These principles help us to be attentive to the needs of individual persons and not just humanity in general,” Msgr. Powers told the packed room at the Amber Room Colonnade in Danbury, which included family and friends from parishes throughout the Diocese of Bridgeport, where the Newtown native previously served as Vicar General and moderator…