Local News
St. Katharine Drexel Shrine hosting public celebration this weekend
Before the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament sell their Bensalem property including the order’s motherhouse and Shrine of St. Katharine Drexel, they are throwing open the doors July 9-10 to mark 125 years.
Aiding the church’s mission through better management
How to handle church finances transparently was the key topic last week for the Leadership Roundtable, a group of lay Catholic business leaders advocating best practices for Catholic organizations, meeting in Philadelphia.
State Senate passes sex-abuse lawsuit bill removing retroactive provision
By a 49-0 vote June 30, the full Senate approved an amended HB 1947. The House version of the bill would allow civil suits on child abuse going back decades, but the Senate version allows suits only going forward.
National campaign awards 11 local social outreach agencies
The Catholic Campaign for Human Development gave grants to four secular groups in Philadelphia and seven Catholic-run agencies totaling $270,000. The annual U.S. bishops' collection will be taken up July 9-10.
Archbishop asks for prayers in wake of Istanbul terrorist attack
Archbishop Charles Chaput issued a statement June 30 in response to the deadly attack in Turkey as the global community confronted "extreme violence committed by those who spread terror through evil."
Our Lady of Port Richmond School receives $60K grant
The award by the Philadelphia School Partnership will allow the Catholic regional school in Philadelphia's Port Richmond neighborhood to renovate classrooms and expand its special education program.
At 100, St. Andrew’s is seeing impressive growth
Celebrating its centennial, the Drexel Hill parish plans to build a new gym and center. Its school, eyed for closure just five years ago, is growing fast due to an innovative tuition model that may soon preclude a parish subsidy.
Archdiocesan senior center in North Philadelphia gets $80K grant
The Norris Square Senior Center will use the money from the Pennsylvania Lottery to upgrade its kitchen facilities and better serve at-risk seniors who annually enjoy 37,000 hot lunch and breakfast meals.
Senate panel strips retroactivity provision from bill on sex abuse suits
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted on June 28 to amend HB 1947, the bill that aims to lift the statute of limitations on lawsuits for sexual abuse going back decades. The new amendment would allow civil suits going forward.
St. Gabriel’s gets 3 grants totaling $62K, mostly for tech upgrades
Among the grants for the archdiocesan system that educates and cares for at-risk young men is a project in which boys who rebuild properties damaged by crime will now convert a barn into a workshop.