Local News
Released from ICE detention, couple comes home to South Philly for Christmas
Five months after being arrested by immigration officials -- and 20 years after fleeing religious and ethnic persecution -- an Indonesian husband and wife return to family and friends, with stronger faith and hope for eventual U.S. citizenship.
At Christmas party, 500 kids enjoy bash for Jesus’ birthday
Archbishop Charles Chaput and scores of volunteers hosted the cap on a year's worth of fundraising for Catholic Social Services' programs for at-risk children and youth -- with a party just for them Dec. 19.
Solar robots, slime top afterschool program’s Christmas list
Archdiocesan Out of School Time sites have launched an Amazon Smile Campaign asking donors for much-needed materials that will provide science education for hundreds of at-risk youth.
Parish rebuilds ’70s-style church, unites Delco Catholics
When three parishes merged into one unremarkable St. John Fisher Church, Boothwyn in 2013, the pastor set about unifying the people and rebuilding the edifice into a traditional Catholic church. The beautiful result was consecrated by Bishop John McIntyre Dec. 15.
Expert on Turin shroud, Guadalupe tilma shares research
Massimo Paris presented a talk on the miraculous images Dec. 12 at Annunciation Parish in Havertown, and 30 people were encouraged to draw closer to whom the images represent: Jesus and Mary.
Women who make Christmas happen reflect on Martha at retreat
Led by author Christine Marie Eberle, women gathered for Dec. 10 at St. Robert Bellarmine Parish, Warrington, to ponder two saintly women's response to the coming of Jesus: busyness, or listening.
The hardest time: Man recounts wrongful 28-year incarceration
The Peace and Justice Ministry of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Germantown and Art for Justice welcomed Chester Hollman III, who was freed from prison last July, for praise music and reflection on criminal justice.
Christmas bazaar sign of vibrancy at St. Athanasius Parish
The Northwest Philadelphia parish, home to two churches and a Catholic school, invited the community to its fun daytime event and hosted an evening cabaret. The parish boasts numerous ministries and clubs.
Detained by ICE, family longs to be home in South Philly for Christmas
A Catholic Indonesian couple have been in separate Pennsylvania prisons since July, away from their two daughters, while federal immigration procedures wend slowly and at great cost. Still, their faith remains unshaken.
Fishtown Catholic school’s shutterbugs putting skills on exhibit
The STREAM curriculum of St. Laurentius Catholic School includes a 10-week digital photography course whose upper-grade students showed their work at an exhibit Dec. 3 in the Crane Arts Building.