Local News
Archbishop gives stark, frank assessment of archdiocese at Philos dinner
Archbishop Charles Chaput accepted the 2013 award of the Catholic Philopatrian Literary Institute April 12. “This is an extraordinary place,” Archbishop Chaput said of the Philadelphia Archdiocese. “But things have changed immensely.” “The problems we have financially are not admitting we have to change. Not in terms of our values and enthusiasm but in terms of how we look at our structures." Change, he said, is going to be awkward and difficult, but “if we are going to be the Church that Jesus Christ wants us to be, we have to be different.”
Study shows challenge of Church holding or selling vacant Catholic schools
All over America Catholic school systems are imploding, especially because of rising costs but also in many cases the rise of free charter schools. The number of Catholic schools in the United States peaked at 13,292 in 1965-66. That number is now down 47 percent to 7,094. What happened or is happening to the buildings?
Terri Schiavo remembered at Mass celebrated by Archbishop Chaput
The battle for the life of Terri Schindler Schiavo ended March 31, 2005 through death by denial of nutrition and hydration in a Florida hospice. She had been in a coma for more than 15 years after collapsing in her home. Her life was ultimately terminated at the request of her husband but against the […]
Archdiocese announces clergy assignment changes
Archbishop Charles J. Chaput announced the following four appointments April 10, effective as noted.
Eight students awarded scholarships from St. John Vianney Parish
Parishioners from St. John Vianney Parish in Gladwyne presented a $3,000 a year scholarship April 4 to Naybria Brown, an eighth grade student from St. Martin de Porres School in Philadelphia. The scholarship will enable Brown to attend any archdiocesan high school for all four years.
Archbishop deems three suspended priests unsuitable for ministry
Three suspended priests of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia have been deemed unsuitable to return to ministry, the Archdiocese announced Sunday, April 7. Fathers Joseph J. Gallagher and Mark S. Gaspar had been placed on administrative leave by the Archdiocese since in 2011 after being named in the Philadelphia grand jury report on sexual abuse of minors by clergy.
Catholic Charismatics set for all-day celebration of joy April 6
If you need a theme for a Charismatic conference, “The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength,” certainly encapsulates the movement. Approximately 400 area Catholic Charismatics will converge on St. Mary Magdalen Parish, Media, on April 6 and it’s a guarantee, they will be joyful.
Archdiocesan parishes joining rally for immigration reform in Washington April 10
There are now about 11 million illegal or undocumented immigrants (whichever term you prefer) living in the United States in legal limbo with no path to citizenship. A rally to remind people of this fact will be held in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, April 10 in support of immigration reform. Among those who will attend from Philadelphia are two busloads of mostly immigrants from Latin America, leaving for the rally from Visitation B.V.M. Parish in the Kensington section of the city, an area teeming with immigrants from the world over.
Theology on Tap coming to a head in Northeast Philadelphia
A fun and interactive faith sharing opportunity for young adults is brewing in Northeast Philadelphia. Starting Monday, April 8, a new Theology on Tap series will take place at Gearo’s Grille on Welsh Road. The four-night event was organized by Father David Friel, parochial vicar at St. Anselm Parish.
New book on American nuns tells tales of sacrifice, dedication, faith
It started with 12 and how appropriate that would be. That was in 1727, when 12 Ursuline Sisters arrived in New Orleans, long before it was part of the United States. They were the vanguard for a vast army of women religious in America that probably peaked at about 180,000 around 1965 and has since dwindled to 54,000.