Local News
‘Hard time for Catholics’ makes call to holiness clearer, archbishop says
The church needs saints, and saints need the church, said Archbishop Charles Chaput Sept. 12 at Malvern Retreat House, where he joined two others honored for their exceptional service to the church.
Phila. priest suspended for decades-old abuse allegation
Father Christopher Lucas has been placed on leave and found unsuitable for ministry because of an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor more than 45 years ago, while he himself was still a minor.
Do most Catholics ‘get’ social justice? Not really, say experts
A term that's been "loaded to the breaking point by history" becomes clearer when compassionate outreach focuses on specific areas of need, and in light of a rich tradition of church teaching.
Unsung Catholics quietly doing good works receive papal awards
Virtually unknown among the 40 people who received papal awards Sept. 5 at the Cathedral was Peter Schumacher, who for more than 50 years has assisted people with mental and physical disabilities.
Archbishop, 2 lay leaders to receive Malvern Retreat House award
The St. Joseph the Worker Medal will be conferred on Archbishop Charles Chaput, Barbara Henkels and Sean Flanagan on Thursday, Sept. 12 at the retreat center.
Seminary panelists ponder future of thinning Catholic parishes
What will parishes in the Philadelphia Archdiocese look like in the future? Archbishop Charles Chaput and three professors at St. Charles Seminary shared their vision of Catholic communities and how future priests will serve them.
Coronation fit for the queen of heaven at Doylestown shrine
The icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa, blessed by St. John Paul II, was crowned by two archbishops during a standing-room-only Aug. 25 Mass. The gathering focused on Mary's roles as mother, intercessor and model, while highlighting the strong faith of the Polish Catholic community.
Priest walks in saint’s footsteps in California mission country
Father Matthew Guckin took time recently to study the work and life of St. Junipero Serra, the greatest of the 18th century Franciscans who evangelized the native peoples of the West Coast.
When others would look to retire, IHM sister takes on new mission in Peru
After decades of service in the United States, Sister Marie Bernadette Taraschi will join her fellow sisters in Lima to teach English -- and to witness to the Gospel while deepening her own spirituality through an encounter with the poor.
At the mountaintop: Half-century of change in Phila. Archdiocese
When Archbishop John Krol arrived to lead the Church in Philadelphia in the early 1960s, he could not know he was seeing the peak of population, sacramental life and school enrollment, as historical figures show.