News

At Manila air base, distraught family members hope for plane to Leyte

MANILA, Philippines (CNS) -- The back entry to the grandstand at the Villamor Air Base was teeming with people as the noon sun peaked. It was Nov. 11, three days after Super Typhoon Haiyan pounded the central Philippine islands, leaving a path of overwhelming destruction that emergency and relief workers were hard-pressed to penetrate.

Church workers lose contact with central Philippines as typhoon hits

MANILA, Philippines (CNS) — As Super Typhoon Haiyan barreled across the central Philippines, national and international church aid officials lost contact with their local counterparts. “I’m just monitoring the news and I’m just hoping for the best,” said Josephine Ignacio of Caritas Philippines. “I’m just hoping that the government’s massive pre-emptive evacuation operation did miracles.” […]

Archdiocesan parishes pray for immigrants this weekend

Parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will pray for and remember immigrants who have died crossing the border or remain separated from their families at Masses Sunday, Nov. 10. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Office for Cultural Ministries invites everyone to join participating parishes in praying for the passage of immigration reform. The parish churches and […]

Catholic advocates to add church voice to Warsaw climate discussions

WARSAW, Poland (CNS) -- When government delegates begin debating climate change in Warsaw Nov. 11, Catholic representatives will be working to ensure the church's voice is heard. The Conference of the Parties, running until Nov. 22, will review progress since the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which committed industrialized countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Marriage tribunals must provide justice and pastoral care, pope says

Meeting with members of the Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature, the church's highest tribunal, Pope Francis said church workers who deal with marriage annulments must recall "the icon of the Good Shepherd, who bends down toward the lost and wounded sheep."

Bones of St. Peter to go on display at Vatican for first time

No pope has ever declared the bones, discovered during excavations in the 1940s, to be authentic. However, after scientific tests were conducted on the bones in the 1950s and '60s, Pope Paul VI said in 1968 that the "relics" of St. Peter had been "identified in a way which we can hold to be convincing."

St. Bridget Parish hosts talk on life of parishioner Grace Kelly

St. Bridget Parish in the East Falls section of Philadelphia hosted a talk by Louise Feder of the Michener Museum in Doylestown on Grace Kelly Nov. 3 at the church. Kelly and her siblings were all baptized in St. Bridget Church, and her family was an integral part of the parish’s history. Some current parishioners remember her as a child sitting in the pews of the church.

Lansdale regional Catholic school to honor veterans

Mater Dei Catholic School, Lansdale, will honor and pray for all U.S. military veterans during a school assembly Nov. 11. The school represents the parishes of St. Maria Goretti in Hatfield, St. Rose of Lima in North Wales and St. Stanislaus in Lansdale, and their surrounding communities. All are welcome to attend a prayer liturgy […]

Cheltenham Catholic school installs student leaders

Presentation B.V.M. School in Cheltenham installed more than 30 student leaders at a ceremony Oct. 31. The young people will play vital roles in leading their classmates and school community throughout the year. Each one has a unique leadership quality to contribute to the various groups they are representing.  Some of the eighth graders are […]

Bryn Mawr Catholic school hosts Fall Open House with tours, info

SS. Colman-John Neumann School in Bryn Mawr will host a Fall Open House on Sunday, Nov. 10 from 10 a.m.-12 noon, with guided tours for local families who wish to learn more about the school’s early childhood programs. SS. Colman-John Neumann students and faculty will be on hand to provide more information on the school’s […]