News
Church workers: Honduran mine concessions fuel human rights abuses
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (CNS) — Four years after a coup d’etat threw Honduras into crisis, church workers said human rights abuses continue unabated, fueled by disputes over mining concessions. A new Honduran mining law passed in January has opened up huge swaths of the countryside to mining exploration. But the mining industry has increasingly […]
Doylestown school honors top 7th graders, welcomes graduate broadcaster
Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in Doylestown held an induction ceremony Monday, Oct. 7 for 21 academically flourishing seventh grade students who were welcomed into the Blessed Duns Scotus Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society. Keynote speaker for the ceremony was Marc Farzetta, host of sports radio station 610 WIP, who is an alumnus of the Bucks County School.
Clergy assignment changes announced
Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Philadelphia, announces the following appointments effective as noted: PASTOR EMERITUS Reverend Donald G. Birch, Saint Joseph the Worker Parish, Fallsington, effective October 14, 2013 Father Birch is retiring and will reside at a private residence. PAROCHIAL ADMINISTRATOR Reverend Michael F. Hennelly, to Parochial Administrator, Saint Joseph […]
Cathedral Concert Series presents music in space for which it was meant
Music is alive and well in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and at a level of excellence it hasn’t seen in years, thanks to John Romeri, archdiocesan director of liturgical music who is entering his fourth year in the City of Brotherly Love since his arrival from St. Louis. The Cathedral Choir, originally formed by Dr. Peter LaManna for the 1976 Eucharistic Congress in Philadelphia and reconstituted by Romeri, has 89 members drawn from 50 parishes. The Girls’ Choir formed by him two years ago has 42 girls representing more than 20 parishes.
New Jersey pro-lifers cite power of prayer in effort to end abortion
MANVILLE, N.J. (CNS) -- Some pro-lifers get discouraged that bringing an end to abortion isn't happening overnight, but the power of prayer is making a difference, said Kevin Dugan, a parish pro-life ministry leader. For years members of Dugan's parish, Immaculate Conception in Somerville, have been joined by other faith communities in the Diocese of Metuchen to pray near a Planned Parenthood clinic in Manville. The effort is part of the 40 Days for Life campaign.
Britain’s top prosecutor confirms gender-based abortions are legal
MANCHESTER, England (CNS) -- Abortions on grounds of gender are legal in Britain, the country's top prosecutor clarified in a letter to the government. Keir Starmer, director of public prosecutions, said in an Oct. 7 letter to Attorney General Dominic Grieve that the 1967 Abortion Act "does not ... expressly prohibit gender-specific abortions."
Pope calls synod to discuss families, divorce and remarriage
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The predicament of divorced and remarried Catholics will be a major topic of discussion when bishops from around the world meet at the Vatican in October 2014. The Vatican announced Oct. 8 that an extraordinary session of the Synod of Bishops will meet Oct. 5-19, 2014, to discuss the "pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelization."
Thousands from Philadelphia parishes honor Mary in ‘America’s Church’
Washington D.C. may have been shut down for most purposes on Saturday, Oct. 5, but Philadelphia Catholics were there anyway for their bi-annual visit to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The largest Catholic Church in the hemisphere, it is popularly called “America’s Church” but in reality it is far more than that. With scores of interior chapels and shrines dedicated to the Blessed Virgin as she is venerated in countries around the globe, it would be difficult to find a structure anywhere that more visually portrays the universality of the Church.
What the Supreme Court is thinking about today, and maybe later
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Supreme Court's docket for the term beginning Oct. 7 is notable -- from the perspective of the Catholic Church -- for a handful of cases accepted or in the pipeline that would refine previous rulings on free speech, public prayer and the Affordable Care Act.
Polls show majority of U.S. Catholics have favorable view of pope
A new poll from Quinnipiac University showed that 53 percent of American Catholics view Pope Francis favorably; 36 percent have a very favorable opinion of him and 4 percent view him negatively. The results were similar to a poll released Sept. 12 by the Washington-based Pew Research's Religion & Public Life Project Center, which that found 79 percent of Catholics have a favorable view of the pope and 4 percent thought poorly of him. The former poll also revealed a sampling of American Catholics' views on marriage and abortion.