Local News
Pa. Senate passes abortion opt-out for federal health care exchanges
The Pennsylvania Senate passed a bill June 5 that prohibits taxpayer funding of abortions in the federal health care exchanges. Without a state health care exchange under the federal health care law, Pennsylvanians would choose from the federal exchanges, which include abortion coverage. The law allowed for state legislation to ban abortion funding in the federal exchanges for residents of the state, which the new bill accomplished. Gov. Tom Corbett has promised to sign the bill.
Archbishop Chaput, Vatican official, offer prayers in wake of city building collapse
The collapse of two buildings in center city Philadelphia June 5 that left six people dead and more than a dozen injured drew the attention of Catholic leaders, including those at the Vatican. Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, wrote a letter June 6 to Archbishop Charles Chaput expressing sympathy for the victims and pledging prayers.
Parish-to-parish procession celebrates the Eucharist in Bucks County
When St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish, Yardley, and St. John the Evangelist Parish, Morrisville, held their second annual joint Corpus Christi Procession on June 2, they were following a time-honored tradition that one does not usually see in this part of the world. Locally it traces back a couple of years ago to when Lisa Kopernowski, a member of St. Ignatius Parish, saw a Corpus Christi procession from somewhere in Europe on the Internet, and she was intrigued. “What a great idea,” she thought, “why don’t we have Corpus Christi processions in America?”
Papal honors bestowed on two local Catholics
Donna Farrell, the former communications director for the Philadelphia Archdiocese and Richard V. McCarron, former archdiocesan secretary of Catholic education, both received papal recognition at a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput June 2 at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul.
15 men ordained deacons at Cathedral
Archbishop Charles Chaput ordained 15 married men of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to the permanent diaconate on Saturday, June 1 at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul. Almost all of the new deacons are college graduates and in keeping with the trend of Catholic migration to the suburbs, only one is a member of a Philadelphia parish.
Assignments for clergy in Archdiocese announced
Archbishop Charles J. Chaput announces 99 changes in assignment for priests and deacons in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
Parishes in four regions of Philadelphia Archdiocese to merge July 1
Twenty-four parishes will merge into 10 as a result of the latest wave of parish consolidations in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s parish planning initiative. Archbishop Charles J. Chaput accepted the recommendations for the mergers from the Archdiocesan Strategic Planning Committee, and pastors at the affected parishes informed parishioners during all Saturday evening and Sunday morning Masses June 1-2. The mergers, in which the parishes will form new, consolidated parishes with some of the churches becoming worship sites, are occurring in four geographic areas: Lower Northeast Philadelphia, Northwest Philadelphia, West Philadelphia and Delaware County.
Graduate School of Theology confers degrees on laity, religious
More than 30 lay people and religious sisters received degrees or certificates at graduation ceremonies May 25 of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Graduate School of Theology and Program of Catholic Studies.
Jenkintown parishioner earns top honors at Boston College graduation
Jenkintown resident Claire Kelly Geruson graduated with cum laude distinction from Boston College on May 20 and received the Rev. Edward H. Finnegan, S.J., Award, given to the student who best exemplifies the spirit of the college's motto, "Ever to Excel," and presented to Geruson from among some 2,200 students of her graduating class. She is a 2009 graduate of Mount St. Joseph Academy in Flourtown and Ancillae Assumpta Academy in Wyncote.
Graduation ceremonies planned for 17 archdiocesan high schools
The schedule for baccalaureate Masses and commencement exercises for the graduating seniors of the 17 high schools of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in coming days is as follows: