Local News
Archbishop speaks to Jewish community at Hanukkah
Archbishop Charles Chaput extended his prayerful best wishes to Jewish people in the Philadelphia area on the "Festival of Lights," Dec. 2-10, and stressed the need for heavenly light to see us through times of darkness.
St. Katharine Drexel’s tomb blessed at new home in Cathedral
Archbishop Charles Chaput blessed the new tomb, made possible by the Connelly Foundation, at the cathedral Nov. 18, where St. Katharine worshiped and where more pilgrims can come to pray for her intercession.
Climate scientist: Still time to curb worst effects of warmer world
The recipient of Villanova's Mendel Medal urged not "finger pointing" but collective action to slow the global warming process which, if not addressed, will lead to stronger and larger storms and wildfires.
Back in the black: Church finances turn historic corner
For the first time in six years, a new word has appeared in an annual assessment of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s finances: surplus. It is small, at $1.3 million, but part of a broader financial turnaround.
Cherokee chief says ‘every day is Thanksgiving’
Chief Buffy Red Feather Brown, a Philadelphian who embraces both her Catholic faith and her tribal heritage, says showing gratitude to God for his blessings is a year-round responsibility.
Kids open up new world by building a library of their own
Students of St. Gabriel's Out of School Time program, run by Catholic Social Services, are using a grant to buy new books and renovate an unused room at the Gray's Ferry parish, where they're discovering "the life-changing power of literacy."
Film on school’s Vietnam vets shows men taught to love, not to die
A documentary presents the family and friends of the Father Judge High School grads in Northeast Philadelphia who died in the Vietnam War. The survivors gathered for a screening and remembrance.
Catholic physicist says harmony of faith, science is seamless, not effortless
Planetary scientist Jonathan Lunine, a Catholic convert, spoke last week on the church's strong support for astronomy and the biblical mandate to "study the cosmos and understand as much as we can."
As at some parishes, St. Charles faces abuse crisis head on
The Drexel Hill parish is among those that offered a parish meeting led by a facilitator, special prayers and information in parish bulletins regarding the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church here and abroad.
Leaders detail monetary aid for victims of ‘unspeakable crimes’
Victims of sexual abuse by an archdiocesan clergyman have until next September to file a claim in the new Independent Reconciliation and Reparations Program. Its managers said there will be no cap on compensation.