News
Ethicists blast tech firms’ offer to freeze women’s eggs
Offers by Facebook and Apple to pay for young women to freeze their eggs for future use was met with strong objections by pro-life leaders, who call it a corporate gimmick. Give parents better options for raising children now, suggested a Philadelphia bioethicist.
Institute officials outline alternatives to in vitro for infertile couples
Catholic couples struggling to conceive a child might not know they have other options than the in vitro fertilization procedure many doctors recommend. But there are natural and effective approaches to infertility.
Friends of St. John’s face uphill challenge in Manayunk
Parishioners of St. John the Baptist Parish in Philadelphia's Manayunk section want to raise $450,000 to make urgent repairs on the iconic 120-year-old church, and $2 million for all the needed work. The church is the main worship site for three merged parishes.
Today’s teaching on the family
See the daily excerpt from the preparatory catechesis for the 2015 World Meeting of Families, “Love is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive.”
Cardinal says mergers tough to take, but address shifts in population
In a long-awaited but nonetheless stunning announcement, the Archdiocese of New York said Nov. 2 it would merge 112 of its 368 parishes into 55, effectively shuttering at least 31 churches by Aug. 1, 2015.
Pope Francis to open Vatican conference on traditional marriage
Archbishop Chaput will be part of a new interreligious meeting Nov. 17-19 on marriage, which comes a month after the Synod of Bishops on the family examined divorce, same-sex unions and other nonmarital relationships.
Archbishop Chaput presents pastoral letter on Catholic education to 3,500 educators
The teachers and administrators at elementary, high school and special education schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia gathered Oct. 31 for a meeting with the archbishop to hear him and others speak on Catholic education and faith formation.
Equipping Saints: A Pastoral Letter on Catholic Education and Faith Formation
Much has changed since Saint John Neumann encouraged parishes to open the first Catholic elementary schools in Philadelphia, writes Archbishop Charles Chaput in his new pastoral letter on Catholic education. But the goal remains the same: equipping saints.
Woman’s suicide called tragedy, symbol of ‘culture of death’ in U.S.
Brittany Maynard, a young California woman who was suffering from terminal brain cancer and gained national attention for her plan to use Oregon's assisted suicide law, ended her life Nov. 1. She was 29 years old.
Praying for the dead, pope asks special prayers for victims of war
The early November feasts of All Saints and All Souls call Catholics to contemplate their ultimate destiny, hope in the eternal happiness of their beloved dead and remember the thousands of innocent people dying each day because of human evil and selfishness.