Local News
Catholic experts at odds over safe injection site for Phila.
While Philadelphia debates whether to become the first city in the U.S. to open a facility where people can inject drugs under supervision, two local teams of bioethicists disagree on whether it is the best method to address the deadly opioid addiction crisis.
Local faithful celebrate Irish apparition of Mary
More than 500 gathered at the Central Association of the Miraculous Medal for an Aug. 21 Mass and reception in honor of Our Lady of Knock, kicking off plans for an outdoor shrine at the complex.
Former Downingtown pastor charged with theft of parish finances
Msgr. Joseph McLoone was arrested Aug. 21 in Chester County for misappropriating almost $100,000 from an off-the-books account at St. Joseph Parish. He has been on leave since resigning as pastor last year.
Kids saddle up for safety with help from Philly police
At an Aug. 2 "bike rodeo" hosted by Catholic Social Services, officers helped some 50 kids learn the rules of the road, while getting ready for a new school year.
In Harrowgate, Catholics get their ‘fighting Irish’ up to face challenges
Supporters of St. Joan of Arc, a worship site of Holy Innocents Parish, gathered for a July 24 Mass and Notre Dame football trip raffle, celebrating both community and some creative fundraising.
Friends lend a hand to spruce up historic Catholic cemetery
Volunteers gathered for an Aug. 17 tour and clean-up of St. Joachim Cemetery in Philadelphia's Frankford section, the final resting place of more than 2,400 Irish descendants and a Cuban revolutionary.
Pope Francis honors 40 Catholics in Philadelphia Archdiocese
The awardees, who include lay individuals, couples, a religious sister and a permanent deacon, are recognized for their dedication and service to the church. Archbishop Chaput will confer the honors formally Sept. 5.
Archbishop urges prayer, ‘sensible solutions’ in wake of North Phila. shootings
The terror that filled the streets of Nicetown-Tioga and left six police officers injured Aug. 14 reminds us "of the fragility of life" and the danger that "illegal drugs and illegally obtained firearms pose," Archbishop Charles Chaput said in a statement.
Marian scholar says pilgrimages offer ‘spiritual formation on foot’
Father Marek Chmielewski of the John Paul II Catholic University in Lublin, Poland says that the ancient practice of traveling to shrines deepens both faith and community.
Honoring Mary, local pilgrims walk from Philadelphia to Doylestown shrine
Some 200 men, women, youth and children trekked from St. Adalbert Church in the city's Port Richmond section to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, joining more than 3,000 fellow pilgrims from New Jersey. The three-day journey was a "spiritual formation by foot" that featured stops at several area parishes.