News

Parishes’ push for vocations in archdiocese deemed a success

The director of the vocations office was aiming for 300 names of potential seminarians from a November initiative, Called by Name, in the parishes. He's already got that number, which could hit 400.

Clergy changes announced

Archbishop Charles Chaput announced assignment changes for three priests of the Philadelphia Archdiocese.

N.J. parish hosting exposition, talks on prayer

St. Rose of Lima Parish in Haddon Heights will offer a guided and personal meditation time to help people know God’s peace in the presence of the Most Blessed Sacrament. The pastor will also give two talks.

Sisters of St. Francis Guest Bartender Night

Francis Foundation will host a Guest Bartender Night at BBC Tavern and Grill in Greenville, Delaware on Jan. 19, 2017

French bishops ask what has been learned since Charlie Hebdo attacks

"Have these tragic events provoked some genuine awakening, and have we offered perspectives for the society of tomorrow by learning lessons from the past?" asked a Jan. 6 statement from the French bishops' conference.

Lebanon strains under weight of refugees, but keeps accepting them

"They are everywhere ... in all of Lebanon," said a priest working in Lebanon about the presence of Syrian refugees in the country, which is two-thirds the size of Connecticut. Up to one in four inhabitants are from Syria.

Pope establishes Syriac Catholic exarchate in Canada

The exarchate, a church jurisdiction similar to a diocese established for Eastern or Orthodox Christians living outside their native land, will have its seat in Montreal, the Vatican announced Jan. 7.

Ohio parish rebuilds two years after being destroyed in a tornado

Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo, Ohio, congratulated the congregation on the accomplishment of rebuilding the sanctuary and reminded them that they are also living temples of the Lord.

California bishops saddened that drive to overturn physician-assisted suicide fails

Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento, in a statement issued Jan. 5, said that the bishops were heartened by the tens of thousands of Californians who "are demanding to have a voice in one of the most dangerous public policies ever enacted" in the state.

Guatemalan educators come north to learn from Benedictine counterparts

Two administrators from the Benedictine school visited Fort Smith in December to learn more about the American education system, both public and private, and get ideas on how to improve their own programs.