For millennia, society has recognized the unique benefits of marriage to the common good of society. Hence, society has protected legally the foundational union of man and woman as the irreplaceable basis of family life. In the American experience, the states have protected this union as the way civilization flourishes through the gift of new human life. The Supreme Court’s decision requiring that all states license and recognize marriage between two people of the same sex is tragic because it will undermine the public morality of society. MORE
Related: 2014 Audit finds Diocese compliant with National Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People June 25, 2015, WORCESTER, MA -- Following the Catholic Church’s commitment to the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, Most Rev. Robert J. McManus, Bishop of Worcester, has announced that Gerard L. Branconnier, Robert E. Kelley and Lowe B. Dongor have been laicized. All were dismissed from the clerical state by the Holy Father, Pope Francis. As a result of the laicizations, the three men may never function in any capacity as priests or be referred to as priests (MORE)
Statement from Most Rev. Robert J. McManus, Bishop of Worcester: I am grateful to our Holy Father, Pope Francis, for his Encyclical Laudato Si, which calls for dialogue throughout the world on how we can be better stewards of the earth and, in so doing, be more responsive to the plight of the poor around the world. MORE
June 5, 2015, WORCESTER, MA –Most Reverend Robert J. McManus, S.T.D., Bishop of Worcester, announced the following 34 clergy assignments which will be effective July 1, 2015 unless otherwise noted. The assignments include six pastors who are retiring; four priests receiving their first assignments as pastors or administrators; nine priests who are moving to new parishes; one priest who will administer a second parish; and eight to be ordained on June 20, 2015 are given their first assignments.