Local News
Pa.’s Catholic bishops urge Corbett to commute death sentence
Pennsylvania’s Catholic bishops wrote to the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons Sept. 5 urging its members to recommend to Governor Tom Corbett a commutation of Terrance Williams’ sentence to life in prison, according to a statement by the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference. The bishops, including Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput in his column on CatholicPhilly.com, are encouraging […]
Last summer, kids learned how to lead at Catholic programs
Archdiocesan Out of School Time programs aren’t just there to keep kids busy during the school year. It is year round, and for some teens it means summer employment that they can build upon in years to come. “We had 68 kids in programs during summertime,” said Dominique James, who is program director at the […]
Archbishop’s residence sold to St. Joseph’s U for $10 million
St. Joseph’s University will buy the archbishop of Philadelphia’s residence in Philadelphia for $10 million, the university announced Friday, Sept. 7. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia signed a letter of intent with St. Joseph’s to acquire the 8.9-acre property and its three-story, 23,350-square-foot mansion that has been the home of Philadelphia’s Catholic archbishops since 1935. The […]
Archbishop Chaput sends letter to the faithful on anniversary
(En Espanol) September 8, 2012 A letter to the people of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Dear friends in Christ, Exactly one year ago, on September 8, I began my service as your Archbishop. Over the past 12 months, many of you have written to me with your encouragement and support. Your kindness in the face […]
Former school superintendent receives top papal honor
Mary Rochford, the former superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, has been named a Dame of the pontifical Order of St. Gregory the Great by Pope Benedict XVI. Archbishop Charles J. Chaput presented her the official document from the pope during a meeting Sept. 6 of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Catholic Education […]
Archbishop Chaput reflects on his first year in Philadelphia
After his installation as shepherd of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s almost 1.5 million Catholics a year ago, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput immediately began to put out fires of the crises he’d inherited. Many of them where unprecedented in the more than 200-year history of the archdiocese: a severely contracting Catholic school system, collapsing Church finances, parishes under threat of closure or consolidation. Add to that the ongoing fallout of the priest sexual abuse scandal that saw priests on trial in criminal court, priests whose ministerial status remained in limbo and priests who were overstretched and just plain demoralized. “I’d like to set fires rather than put them out,” said the archbishop, who sat for an interview with CatholicPhilly.com days before his Sept. 8 one-year anniversary as head of the Archdiocese. “The Lord has given me a lot of fires to put out, where my preference is to light fires.
Innovative Catholic high school opens in Philadelphia
Philadelphia’s newest and most innovative Catholic high school, Cristo Rey (Christ the King) Philadelphia, received a formal baptism through an Aug. 31 Mass of the Holy Spirit celebrated by Archbishop Chaput at Our Lady of Hope Church on North Broad Street. The parish’s former school now houses Cristo Rey. What sets it apart from any […]
Clergy assignment changes announced
Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Philadelphia, announces the following appointments effective as noted: RETIREMENT Reverend Donato P. Silveri, while remaining as the Catholic Chaplain at Southeastern Pennsylvania Veterans Center with continued residence at St. Joseph Parish, Spring City, effective September 1, 2012 PASTORS Reverend Leo P. Oswald, from Parochial Vicar, St. […]
Why are workers losing ground? For one, it’s the economy
James Carville coined the phrase in the 1992 election year, “It’s the economy, stupid,” and like microphone feedback the mantra has just gotten louder and stronger with the passage of two decades. In his Labor Day message (English | Spanish), Bishop Stephen E. Blaire, Bishop of Stockton and chairman of the Committee on Domestic Development […]
Philadelphia Catholic high schools, special ed schools, placed under new management
Philadelphia’s 17 archdiocesan high schools as well as its four schools for special education are officially under new management. Under a historic agreement in principal signed by Archbishop Charles Chaput and H. Edward Hanway for the Faith in the Future Foundation on Aug. 21, strategic and operational control of the 21 schools passes to the […]