News
Air Force pilot shot down over Cambodia and MIA for 46 years laid to rest
The process of bringing Smith's remains home was long and heartbreaking, but he was finally buried with full military honors in July, said Father Alan Hunter, who celebrated the funeral Mass.
Parishioners are speaking of faith — in 20 languages
The latest head count figures in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia show a diverse tapestry of people worshiping God in the liturgy at their parishes each weekend in English, Spanish and 18 other languages.
Parish Mass attendance drops again, but cultural diversity surging
Last year’s October Count showed 222,371 Catholics attended weekend Masses during the month in the 217 parishes of the archdiocese. The figure is down from 234,453 in October 2015 after Pope Francis' visit to the city.
Pittsburgh mayor brings together faith leaders to pray for end to racism
At an interfaith gathering in downtown Pittsburgh, a spokesman for the Diocese of Pittsburgh said that "every human being has God-given dignity and is worthy of respect, but not every cause is worthy of respect."
Revival
Two evenings of inspiring preaching and praise. Father Paul Whittington will be the Homilist, singing will be by the Philadelphia Catholic Gospel Mass Choir, praise dancing will be by the Immanuel Movement Praise Team.
Ford presents Catholic Charities USA with new Mobile Response Center
The vehicle is wheelchair accessible, has air conditioning, lighting, wheelchair access and even a phone-charging station, which will be particularly helpful for people in a disaster who need to reconnect with their families.
Venezuelans who take long ride to Chile find help at Santiago parish
Around 20,000 Venezuelans have arrived in Chile this year, 15 times more than 2016. The vast majority of them say they are fleeing the political crisis in their country and going to Chile in search of a better life.
Rome Caritas blames police for violent removal of refugees
While government officials had an obligation to find a safe and dignified alternative for housing some 800 refugees squatting in an abandoned building in the center of Rome, the way police went about it led to violence, said Rome's Caritas agency.
Imprisonment without hope for the future is torture, pope says
Punishment can be fruitful only when inmates are helped to look toward the future rather than only back at a past lived out in shame, the pope said in a video message Aug. 24 to inmates at the Ezeiza federal penitentiary in Argentina.
Vatican II liturgical reform ‘irreversible,’ pope says
The Catholic Church must continue to work to understand the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council and why they were made, rather than rethinking them, Pope Francis said.