Local News
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.
New movie on ‘Rosary Priest’ more timely than ever, say local relatives
"Pray: The Story of Father Patrick Peyton" captures both the man and his message, according to Susan and Charles Reynolds of Presentation B.V.M. Parish in Cheltenham.
First Communion dresses, suits find new life in parish program
The Communion Closet at St. Katherine of Siena Parish in Philadelphia accepts those precious outfits used only once -- and perhaps not even then because of the pandemic -- and offers them to anyone for their child's special day in the church.
Immaculate Conception, St. Cyril churches to close
The churches in Philadelphia's Northern Liberties neighborhood and in East Lansdowne, Delaware County had been infrequently used worship sites, and both in need of costly maintenance.