We held a fifth Confirmation retreat of 2025 where 8 parishes were represented: Our Lady of Fatima, St. Rita, St. Timothy, St. Barnabas, St. Michael, St. Teresa of the Child Jesus, Our Lady of Grace, and St. John Paul II. This year's theme is Signed, Sealed, and Sent. Through engaging talks and activities, we will be learning about the Rite of Confirmation and what will actually take place on Confirmation day. We will have many opportunities for prayer and reflection, especially time before the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

Hundreds of young athletes competed in the Catholic Athletic League Basketball Tournament. The games took place between March 8-9 and March 15-16 at Catholic high schools in the area. Read more in the RI Catholic article here: https://www.thericatholic.com/stories/young-athletes-showcase-skills-and-sportsmanship-on-the-court,14790.

Fr. Thomas Macdonald taught the March class for the Certificate in Catholic Theology program. The topic for the class was "The Liturgy and the Sacraments." The students benefitted from Fr. Macdonald discussing the concepts of liturgy, worship, sacrifice, as well as an overview for each of the seven sacraments of the Church. Fr. Macdonald is a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston and currently serves as Vice-Rector of St. John's Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts.

Each year, on the first Sunday in Lent, catechumens and candidates who are in the OCIA process at their parish and looking to enter the Catholic Church head to the Cathedral for the Rite of Election and of the Call to Continuing Conversion. This year we had Bishop Robert C. Evans preside over the rite and had 97 catechumens and 110 candidates. See the full Rhode Island Catholic coverage here.

Our fourth Confirmation retreat of 2025 was held at Rejoice in Hope Center where 6 parishes were represented: St. Mary, St. Gregory the Great, Our Lady of Grace, St. John Paul II, and St. Rita, and St. Timothy. We had many young adults present to help with facilitation of small groups and engagement. It was wonderful to see such faithfulness and sincerity modeled to the young people in attendance. This year's theme is Signed, Sealed, and Sent. Through engaging talks and activities, we will be learning about the Rite of Confirmation and what will actually take place on Confirmation day. We will have many opportunities for prayer and reflection, especially time before the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

On Saturday, March 1st, young adults from across the Diocese of Providence gathered for a day of prayer, reflection, and community at the third annual Young Adult Lenten Retreat. Participants heard talks from Fr. Josh Barrow and Mrs. Lisa Kline about the meaning of suffering and how to suffer well as disciples of Christ. Young adults also had the opportunity to go to spiritual direction, venerate a relic of St. Helena, and discern Lenten commitments in preparation for the season ahead.

Our third Confirmation retreat of 2025 was held across the bay where 5 parishes sent their teens: St. Mary, St. Elizabeth, St. Mary's Church of the Immaculate Conception, St. Sebastian, and St. Agatha. This year's theme is Signed, Sealed, and Sent. Through engaging talks and activities, we will be learning about the Rite of Confirmation and what will actually take place on Confirmation day. We will have many opportunities for prayer and reflection, especially time before the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

Newlyweds from around the diocese gathered for a night of faith, food, and fun in February to celebrate National Marriage Week at the Cathedral of SS. Peter & Paul. Father Thomas Woodhouse of St. Paul Parish in Cranston and several couples married for decades offered practical advice and encouragement to the newly-married couples. Tours of the cathedral, a photo-booth, door prizes, and time for prayer were also part of the evening. The event was such a success it will be held again in February 2026!

96 teens from Holy Trinity, St. Agatha, St. Joseph, and St. John the Evangelist Churches joined us for our second Confirmation retreat of 2025. This year's theme is Signed, Sealed, and Sent. Through engaging talks and activities, we will be learning about the Rite of Confirmation and what will actually take place on Confirmation day. We will have many opportunities for prayer and reflection, especially time before the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

105 young people joined us for our first Confirmation retreat of 2025! 5 parishes were represented: St. Mary Mission, St. Michael, St. Gregory the Great, St. Sebastian, and St. Anthony. This year's theme is Signed, Sealed, and Sent. Through engaging talks and activities, we will be learning about the Rite of Confirmation and what will actually take place on Confirmation day. We will have many opportunities for prayer and reflection, especially time before the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

Our Lady of Providence Seminary faced off against St. John's Seminary in an exciting basketball game on Friday, January 17th at St. Augustine's Church in Providence. The guys played a great game, and in a tight finish, St. John's held the lead to win the game. Young Adults from across the diocese and beyond gathered to cheer on the teams, build community, and pray together before the game. A huge thank you to our favorite comedian, Kevin Sullivan, for his play-by-play game review and crowd engagement! Looking forward to hosting this event for years to come!

Over 200 women came together on Saturday December 7, 2024 for the annual Rhode Island Catholic Women's Conference held at the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul.

Principals and Secretariat staff gather for first Lumen retreat.