Pope Benedict’s apostolic letter, ‘The Service of Charity’
The following apostolic letter of Pope Benedict XVI issued "motu proprio" on "The Service of Charity," dated Nov. 11, was issued by Vatican Information Service Dec. 1.
St. Albert Parish celebrates 50 years serving Huntingdon Valley
June 6, D-Day, is certainly auspicious in American history. It’s auspicious too in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia because that’s the date 50 years ago St. Albert the Great Parish was erected. One of the larger parishes in the Archdiocese, its campus is in Huntingdon Valley, Montgomery County, but many parishioners live in adjacent Northeast Philadelphia. […]
Holy See budget shows major loss despite rise in donations
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Holy See sustained its largest budget deficit of the past decade in 2011 as a result of global financial trends, the Vatican said July 5. But Vatican City State, which includes the income-generating Vatican Museums and Vatican post office, ended 2011 with a surplus of 21.8 million euros ($27 million). […]
Taking the difficult steps on the road to renewing the Church
Last month, at my request, the Archdiocese published a financial report that was as comprehensive as possible. In the years ahead, that annual report will improve and become even more thorough. After the past decade of anger and confusion in the Church, Philadelphia Catholics want a life of faith where their children are safe and their spirits are nourished. For as long as God gives me time as your bishop, I promise to work to make that happen.
The nature of the Church and the importance of lay action
In the next few months, at my request, The Catholic Standard and Times will publish a report on the financial condition of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, including its offices, ministry programs and many of its related agencies and non-profit corporations. Too often we think of the Church as an institution, and institutions are hard to love. The structures of Catholic life are required by canon and civil law, and they’re important. But they’re also secondary. At her heart, the Church is a family, a community of believers. Like any family, her members have mutual obligations of respect and accountability. This has practical consequences. We ask our people to be generous. As a result, they have a right to know that their resources, which the Church holds in trust for them, are used properly.
Bishops discuss religious liberty, marriage, finances at annual meeting
BALTIMORE (CNS) — At the start of their annual three-day fall assembly in Baltimore, the U.S. bishops were urged to restore the luster, credibility and beauty of the Catholic Church in the hearts of its members. Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York called on his fellow bishops Nov. 14 to communicate to the world […]
Church uses resources to proclaim Gospel
You can’t take it with you. Good thing too, because people face so many troubles today that require wise use of money here and now. So it’s timely that the Archdiocese of Philadelphia presents its annual pastoral and financial report to the faithful this week. The needs are great in this region, but so is […]
Mass attendance: seeing the bright side
The pessimist sees a glass half empty; the optimist, a glass half full. The person of faith works and prays to fill the glass. The analogy applies as one looks at the numbers of people occupying pews for Sunday Masses with despair. The data on Mass attendance in archdiocesan parishes analyzed by Lou Baldwin in […]
Report reveals Church’s good stewardship
The pastoral and financial report published in this week’s issue reveals the scope of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s finances as they looked from July 2007 to June of last year. In that fiscal year the Archdiocese expended more than $448 million on a wide variety of social and pastoral services. The three largest expense items […]
Capital campaign launches
By Christie L. ChicoineCS&T Staff Writer PHILADELPHIA – Cardinal Justin Rigali called on all Catholics to join him in making a sacrificial commitment to a capital and endowment campaign to benefit the entire Archdiocese. “Our combined gift will make a lasting contribution to the future of the Church of Philadelphia,” the Cardinal said in announcing […]