Connecticut

Connecticut Diocese Debuts ‘Maria,’ an AI Fundraising Personality ‘Rooted in the Church’s Mission’

Published

2 months ago

April 24, 2026

Connecticut Diocese Debuts ‘Maria,’ an AI Fundraising Personality ‘Rooted in the Church’s Mission’

The Diocese of Bridgeport rolled out the new tool to a select number of donors ahead of a larger release.

The Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut, will be supplementing its fundraising activities with an AI tool meant in part to solicit donations from local Catholics in what the diocese is billing as the “worldʼs first virtual engagement officer.”

The diocese announced the rollout of “Maria” this month. It describes the tool as a means of “thoughtfully exploring how new technologies can support more attentive listening, more consistent communication, and more personal engagement with those we serve.”

Bishop Frank Caggiano says on the programʼs website that the digital tool will “help us discern how technology may support deeper connection and accompaniment.”

“Maria will help us learn how digital tools can deepen our listening and foster more personal responses, while always keeping human relationships at the heart of the Church’s mission,” he said.

Ethical safeguards, ‘huge potential’

On the April 15 edition of his weekly podcast, Let Me Be Frank, Bishop Caggiano jokingly described himself as “technologically a Neanderthal,” but he expressed excitement that the tool could be used “not just to raise money but to evangelize.”

Speaking on the podcast to diocesan chancellor Deacon Patrick Toole, who spent years as an executive with the technology giant IBM, Bishop Caggiano asked if an AI agent can “ever get to the point where it could resist human control.”

Toole acknowledged that such a scenario was “possible,” though he noted that AI companies institute “huge safeguards” to ensure that AI personalities are trained properly.

The deacon said that the diocesan chancery has been holding discussions about “how to use artificial intelligence for the good of the mission” and that diocesan fundraising “seemed like a good opportunity to try it in an area where we donʼt have the resources.”

“My primary motivation was that weʼre doing so many really exciting things and itʼs hard to get the message out,” he said.

Emily Groccia, a vice president at the tech company Givzey, which helped design Maria, said on the podcast that the program was rolled out to 1,000 donors in late March.

She said part of the toolʼs programming will be to “graduate” donors to actual human workers under some circumstances, such as when someone wants to significantly upgrade a donation, or if they raise intimate personal questions better addressed by a fellow human being.

“We are very cautious on allowing our [AI] to engage in lines of conversation that are outside of those traditional fundraising conversations,” she said.

The bishop said that AI fundraising represents “huge potential” for the nearly 200 dioceses in the United States. But he stressed the need for “guidelines” to ensure that AI agents do not take the place of human beings.

“Just off the top of my head, if someone reveals a death, I would not want the assistant to respond at all,” he said. “I want a human person to respond. … Because again, as a Church, weʼre a unique reality.”

Diocesan spokeswoman Marie Oates shared with EWTN News several examples of Mariaʼs interactions with local Catholics. In one, a parishioner expresses interest in volunteering with immigrants, for which Maria was able to provide information on local Catholic Charities immigration services.

In another, a mother asks Maria for opportunities to get involved in diocesan programs with “other moms like me.” Maria offers to connect the mother to parish programs with mothers’ groups and family ministries.

The Diocese of Bridgeport’s virtual AI assistant Maria offers to help connect a local Catholic mother with family ministries. | Credit: Courtesy of the Diocese of Bridgeport

Oates said both interactions “highlight our goal for the program,” which she said focuses on “using AI [not] as a way to replace human relationships but as a tool to help us connect more personally.”

“[We want to use] AI to bridge the gaps in our ability as a Church to communicate directly with everyone, with the goal of fostering more personal and human connection and interaction, so that we as humans can better accompany each other,” she said.

On the bishopʼs podcast, meanwhile, Toole said that Catholics “have the opportunity to bear great fruit” with AI technology “as long as we align it to the One and make sure we stay true to that with Christ at the center.”

Bishop Caggiano described AI innovation as representing “an epochal shift in human life” comparable to the development of the printing press.

“Thereʼs no one on Earth alive — even these great architects of [AI] — who really know where all of this will go,” he said. “We need to answer the question, where should it go?”

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Connecticut

Kids Count conveys mixed picture of how children fare in CT

Published

8 hours ago

June 8, 2026

Press Room

Kids Count conveys mixed picture of how children fare in CT

by Laura Tillman, CT Mirror
June 8, 2026

Connecticut moved up in a national ranking that uses data to rate how well children are doing state-to-state, moving from eighth to seventh place.

The 2026 Kids Count is compiled by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and state partners like Connecticut Voices for Children and uses 16 indicators in four different categories to assess how well kids are doing — economically and scholastically, as members of families and communities, as well as their physical health.

The dataset, which analyzes 2024 data, rated Connecticut highly in education and health, ranking third and fourth respectively. But Connecticut continues to place closer to the middle of the pack in the categories of economic well-being and family and community, at 20th and 18th in the nation.

Overall, New Hampshire ranked first in the nation while Mississippi came in last.

“Behind every number in this report is a child who is either hungry or fed, housed or homeless, progressing academically or falling behind. No state is consistently getting this right,” said Lisa M. Lawson, president and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. “The Data Book challenges us to follow the evidence and do what delivers results.”

Connecticut’s 2024 data was measured against numbers from 2019. While most measures didn’t see a significant change, there were some small shifts. That included a slight increase in the number of low birth weight babies, from 7.8% to 8.1%, and more teens not in school and not working — from 4 to 5%. Despite Connecticut’s strong educational ranking, the numbers in that area also slid back — 40% of pre-K aged kids were not in school, compared to a previous measurement of 35%; more fourth-graders were not proficient in reading, up to 64% from 60%; and more eighth-graders were not proficient in math, 68% compared to 61%.

“Connecticut’s overall high ranking is something to be proud of but evidence we are not doing enough — we must engage in big, bold policy changes that advance economic security for all families, not just the privileged and lucky few,” said Emily Byrne, executive director of Connecticut Voices for Children. “The data show both the impact of investments that support children and families and the consequences of longstanding status quo budgets that don’t address equity and opportunity.”

Byrne said that Connecticut has a “moral responsibility” to support families by strengthening the social safety net and investing in policies that benefit all children.

This year, the Kids Count report includes an overall numerical score between 0 and 1000. Connecticut scored 708 — well above the national average of 547. But Connecticut’s score also dropped compared to how the Annie E. Casey Foundation rated it during 2019, when it was rated 727. The Foundation said that 2019 was chosen as a basis of comparison because it represents how kids were faring pre-COVID. The numerical ranking is intended to help make more visible how states are improving or declining on metrics independent of how they rank against other states.

By those scores, kids fared worse in 2024 than they did in 2019, with much of this decline driven by education. Connecticut’s educational data improved in only one metric between 2019 and 2024: slightly more high school students are graduating on time. And, despite its mediocre ranking on economic outcomes, Connecticut’s metrics improved in three of four economic categories, with fewer children living in poverty, fewer children whose parents lack secure employment and fewer children living in households with a high housing cost burden compared to 2019 figures.

Data on the decreasing share of young children not in school is notable as Connecticut embarks on an ambitious plan to fund early childhood education for low-income families with an endowment. Under that plan, which Gov. Ned Lamont has said is central to his legacy, families making less than $100,000 per year would pay nothing for pre-K, while families making more than that would contribute up to 7% of their household income.

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Connecticut

Popular Hartford Food Hall Decked Out For World Cup

Published

18 hours ago

June 8, 2026

Press Room

Popular Hartford Food Hall Decked Out For World Cup

HARTFORD, CT — A popular culinary destination in Connecticut’s capital city says it will be the place to be to watch the biggest sporting event on the planet.

Parkville Market in Hartford will kick off its “Summer of Soccer” celebration June 11 with a watch party for the Mexico-South Africa match, launching a series of soccer-themed events planned throughout the summer.

The Hartford food hall will broadcast matches both inside the venue and on its outdoor patio.

Organizers said opening-day activities will include face painting, custom T-shirt making, giveaways and a 360-degree photo booth.

Parkville Market’s 22 food vendors, which feature cuisines from around the world, are expected to be a central part of the experience as visitors gather to watch international soccer matches.

In addition to match broadcasts, visitors can use the venue’s new mini soccer pitch outside.

Organizers encouraged guests to bring their own soccer balls and play during events.

“Soccer is the world’s game, and Parkville Market is where the world comes together,” said Carlos Mouta, owner and CEO of Parkville Market. “And let’s go Portugal!”

Special event activations are planned for June 11, June 27 and the tournament final on July 19, according to organizers.

Located at 1400 Park St. in Hartford, Parkville Market is Connecticut’s first and largest food hall. The venue includes 22 restaurants, three bars, private event spaces and outdoor dining areas.

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