Local News

Frontline workers at Catholic care center eager for COVID vaccine

Staff at Catholic Social Services' Communities of Don Guanella and Divine Providence say they're excited to "be part of the solution" as vaccinations from the coronavirus begin nationwide.

Knights, Ladies of Peter Claver provide $10K to area parishes

The donation continues more than a century of charitable works by the organization, which "serves the church and the community" while mentoring the next generation.

Live Nativity brings Christmas to Northeast Phila. street

Blessed Trinity Regional Catholic School and St. Timothy Parish recreated Bethlehem on a bustling thoroughfare Dec. 11, connecting the community to Scripture "in a real and beautiful way."

New directives aid celebration of Christmas at home or in church

Houses of worship are exempt from new restrictions on social gatherings in Pennsylvania, but the Philadelphia Archdiocese is preparing Catholics to celebrate the birth of Jesus in several ways this year.

Students with visual impairments ‘see in different way,’ says archbishop

During a Dec. 9 visit, Archbishop Nelson Pérez told students of the archdiocesan St. Lucy Day School for Children with Visual Impairments they have gifts to discern what others can't.

St. Charles Seminary agrees on relocation plan to Gwynedd Mercy University

The first steps have been taken toward relocating the seminary’s programs on a 15-acre tract of the university’s Lower Gwynedd, Montgomery County campus. The seminary's 75-acre Wynnewood campus was sold last year.

Youth journey together (with experienced guides) through Advent series

Sponsored by the archdiocesan Office for Cultural Ministries and several parish partners, weekly online reflections challenge participants to be "the now of God" while awaiting Christ's birth.

40 Catholic eighth graders awarded full scholarships to high school

The Connelly Foundation has awarded its 2021 Neumann Scholars, who competed among 459 grade-school students. The four-year awards allow the winners to attend the archdiocesan high school of their choosing.

Immaculate Conception ‘a spiritual force’ during pandemic, says priest

The Dec. 8 solemnity, marking Mary's divine preservation from original sin, "allows God to prepare us for a new indwelling of his Son" during Christmas amid COVID, said Father Dennis Gill.

Seniors create messages of peace, beauty at Christmas

Older adults served by archdiocesan Catholic Housing and Community Services shared their artistic visions for the holiday in the agency's first-ever Christmas card contest.