News
Oktoberfest fun coming to Holy Redeemer Sisters’ motherhouse
The Sisters of the Holy Redeemer will host their Oktoberfest celebration at the Provincialate House in Huntingdon Valley Saturday, Sept. 28 from 12 noon to 8 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 29 from 12 noon to 5 p.m. The event will feature German food, a beer garden, games and activities, crafts, hayrides and pony rides. Entertainment will be provided […]
Beauty and beer: Monks’ outreach is part of new evangelization
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Even before retired Pope Benedict XVI set up a pontifical council for new evangelization and convoked a world Synod of Bishops on the theme, a new group of Benedictine monks was using Latin and liturgy to reach out to those whose faith was weak or nonexistent. Now they've added beer to the blend, and people are flocking to the monastery in Norcia, the birthplace of St. Benedict, about 70 miles northeast of Rome in the Umbrian countryside.
Father Chuck Pfeffer’s vision of leadership lives on at CLI
Catholic Leadership Institute, based in Wayne, has recently announced the formation of the Father Chuck Pfeffer Society as a part of their annual fund.The society honors the memory of Father Charles Pfeffer (1951-2004), a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, by recognizing donors for their leadership and support through gifts of at least $1,000 to the Catholic Leadership Institute.
Malvern Retreat House touts fall retreats for spiritual growth
Malvern Retreat House invites men, women, families and married couples to attend retreats this fall that provide spiritual growth, fellowship with others and time for reflection. Owned and operated by Catholic lay leadership since 1912, Malvern is the oldest and largest Catholic retreat house in the country. It hosts 20,000 people annually through 250 retreats […]
Haitian people buoyed by gifts in memory of Father Chuck Pfeffer
Try to imagine what it would be like to be a member of one of 57 families living in shacks on a narrow, isolated beach, literally cut off from civilization. Welcome to St. Mary Fishing Village, located on the Island of Gonave off the coast of Haiti. Gonave is relatively large, about 283 square miles, but the terrain is harsh.
Vatican’s Year of Faith celebrations to resume in September
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Vatican activities for the Year of Faith begin again in late September with an international meeting of catechists, followed in October by a Marian pilgrimage in the presence of the original statue of Our Lady of Fatima and a celebration of faith and family life.
Workshops for lectors offered across archdiocese
Lectors who proclaim the word of God at Catholic liturgies are invited to a series of workshops beginning in the fall at various locations in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The sessions sponsored by the archdiocesan, Office for Divine Worship, are designed for all instituted lectors to provide ongoing formation for themselves and to assist them […]
Doctor-ethicist sees ongoing efforts to weaken conscience protections
NEW ORLEANS (CNS) -- Fine print contained in the Affordable Care Act has weakened conscience protections for physicians who oppose abortion, sterilization or other medical practices on religious or moral grounds, a doctor and ethicist told the American Academy of Fertility Care Professionals.
Archdiocese considering sale of Catholic nursing homes
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia, as part of its ongoing effort to achieve financial stability, intends to market six nursing homes and one assisted-living facility for possible sale, it was announced Aug. 20. The archdiocese will also seek to outsource management or lease the 11 active archdiocesan cemeteries and two cemetery sites reserved for future use.
Egyptians running out of food because they fear going outside, bishop says
UPDATED -- VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A Catholic bishop in Luxor, about 400 miles south of Cairo, said Muslims and Christians are afraid to leave their homes; because the shops are closed and no one is venturing outside, many are running out of food.