Local News
At funeral, Bishop McFadden recalled as champion of new evangelization
With a solemn Mass of Christian Burial, faithful from Harrisburg, Philadelphia and beyond filled Holy Name of Jesus Church to offer the ultimate prayer for Bishop Joseph P. McFadden, who died suddenly of a heart attack May 2 while in Philadelphia to attend a meeting of the state’s bishops. A congregation of nearly 2,000 mourners filled the pews and the extra chairs set up for the Mass. Among them were Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop Charles Chaput and other archbishops, bishops, priests, deacons, religious sisters, lay faithful and people from other faith traditions.
Homily of Bishop Barres at the Solemn Funeral Mass for Bishop Joseph P. McFadden
May 8, 2013 To John and Mary Jo, Sister Jane, Ellen and Pat and Bishop McFadden’s large and loving extended family, to the Cardinals, to the Archbishops, to his brother bishops, to the priests, deacons, religious and the people of God of the Diocese of Harrisburg and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, we offer you our prayers and sympathy as we celebrate this Solemn Funeral Mass for the soul of Bishop McFadden and for the people he has served.
Three preparing for priesthood reflect on God’s calling in their lives
Three transitional deacons -- Sean Loomis, John Stokely and Thomas Viviano -- will be ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput on May 18 at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul. (Everyone in the Archdiocese is invited to the ordination, which begins at 10 a.m.) The three men have two things in common: all are relatively young and all are on fire for the Lord.
Spouses love as Christ loves, Archbishop says at wedding anniversary Mass
The Mass celebrated on the evening of May 4 by Archbishop Charles Chaput for couples celebrating their 25th or 50th anniversaries of married life or even more, was in keeping with a Philadelphia custom dating back for more than 30 years. “We Catholics say that marriage is a sacrament," he said. "What that means is your marriage in the Catholic Church is a sign to the rest of us, to the world, what God’s love for us is like."
Philadelphia Mass for Bishop McFadden set for his birthday
Catholics in the Philadelphia Archdiocese will have an opportunity to pray together for Bishop Joseph P. McFadden, who died May 2. A memorial Mass will be celebrated on what would have been his 66th birthday, May 22, at 7 p.m. in the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul, Philadelphia. All are welcome to participate. […]
Four days of funeral rites for Bishop McFadden set in Harrisburg
The Diocese of Harrisburg announces the following funeral arrangements for Bishop Joseph P. McFadden. All liturgies are open to the public. The funeral Mass will be celebrated at the Holy Name of Jesus Church, 6150 Allentown Blvd., Harrisburg, Pa., on Wednesday, May 8.
Friends remember Bishop McFadden as ‘kind of priest every priest should be’
Bishop Joseph P. McFadden will be mourned in Harrisburg, the diocese he led for almost three years. He will also certainly be mourned in Philadelphia, the archdiocese where he spent the first 63 years of his life. Joe McFadden didn’t enter the seminary straight from St. Thomas More High; instead he earned his degree at […]
In his final moments, Bishop McFadden graced by sacrament, recalled people of diocese
Death came swiftly and silently for Bishop Joseph P. McFadden on the early morning of May 2, but it did not catch him spiritually unawares. "Would you please give me absolution?” the bishop asked a priest friend in his car as they drove to the hospital. “He’s a Godly man and he wants the sacraments of the Church,” Msgr. Joseph Garvin thought. He said the prayer of absolution and made the sign of the cross. Bishop McFadden blessed himself. Very shortly after, the bishop slumped over.
Bishop Joseph McFadden of Harrisburg, Philadelphia native, dies suddenly at 65
UPDATED -- Bishop Joseph P. McFadden, a Philadelphia native and the bishop of Harrisburg, Pa., died suddenly in his hometown Thursday morning, May 2. Friends and associates of Bishop McFadden reflected on the man they knew and loved.
Looking back on the full life of Bishop McFadden
(The following biography of Bishop Joseph McFadden was originally published Aug. 19, 2010 in The Catholic Standard and Times, the former newspaper of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.) Coincidences? Call it the plan of God; almost everything happens for a purpose. This should be perfectly clear to Bishop Joseph P. McFadden as he leaves Philadelphia to […]