News
Pope clears the way for the canonizations of John Paul II, John XXIII
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis signed a decree clearing the way for the canonization of Blessed John Paul II and has decided also to ask the world's cardinals to vote on the canonization of Blessed John XXIII, even in the absence of a miracle. After Pope Francis met July 5 with Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints' Causes, the Vatican published a list of decrees the pope approved related to Blessed John Paul's canonization and 11 other sainthood causes.
With final rules from HHS, bishops need to ‘continue defending’ rights
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The final rules issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services implementing its mandate that employers provide coverage of contraceptives do not eliminate "the need to continue defending our rights in Congress and the courts," said New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan in a July 3 statement.
Bishop Bosco, retired head of Greensburg Diocese, dies at age 85
GREENSBURG, Pa. (CNS) -- Retired Bishop Anthony G. Bosco of Greensburg, who headed the diocese for nearly 17 years until his retirement in 2004, died July 2 at his home in Unity Township. He was 85. Bishop Bosco's body will be received at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral the afternoon of July 8, with family members receiving relatives and friends until a 7 p.m. celebration of evening prayer. The cathedral will remain open for visitation until 9 p.m. On July 9 there will be all-day visitation. At 7 p.m. Greensburg Bishop Lawrence E. Brandt will celebrate Mass for the repose of the soul of Bishop Bosco.
New guidelines aim to help houses of worship address gun violence
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Shootings in places of worship are fairly uncommon, but the public nature of churches, synagogues and temples sometimes makes them appealing targets for violent acts. The federal government June 18 released its first guidelines for houses of worship confronted with a homicidal gunman. They were issued just two days after 66-year-old James Evans was shot by his 35-year-old son-in-law inside St. James the Just Catholic Church in Ogden, Utah.
Disabilities-ministry office gets administrative upgrade
The Office for Persons with Disabilities and the Deaf Apostolate, previously a department under the Office for Life and Family, becomes a peer office with the same leadership, Sister Kathleen Schipani, now director instead of administrator.
Fans of Magnificat, Catholic Life Congress planning full day for thousands in autumn
Circle November 9 on your calendar. There will be a spiritual double header at the Pennsylvania Convention Center that is expected to attract perhaps 3,000 participants from around the country and locally. On that day the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the Magnificat Foundation will host a day-long celebration, Magnificat Day, along with Philadelphia’s annual Catholic Life Congress, which brings together catechists from through the area.
Father Peter E. Campbell, member of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart and author
The Rev. Peter E. Campbell, MSC, a member of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, 79, of Asbury Gardens, North Aurora, IL, passed away peacefully on Monday, July 1, 2013 at Presence Mercy Center, Aurora, IL. Fr. Peter was parochial vicar at St. John the Baptist Parish, Revere (Ottsville), PA from 1961-1965. During his retirement years Fr. Peter achieved […]
Polish, Ukrainian church leaders mark anniversary of WWII massacres
WARSAW, Poland (CNS) -- Catholic leaders in Poland and Ukraine pledged mutual forgiveness for the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians during World War II. A statement by two bishops was timed to commemorate the 1943-44 massacres in Volhynia and eastern Galicia, in which up to 100,000 Poles and Ukrainians were killed by rival sides under Nazi occupation.
Patchwork of murky laws emerges as more states OK use of marijuana
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (CNS) -- Somewhere among the skateboarders, weight lifters, street artisans and moms pushing strollers at California's Venice Beach may be a high concentration of seriously ill Californians seeking alternative pain relief. That's the impression given by an omnipresent odor and abundance of Oceanfront medical marijuana dispensaries and one-stop "medical consultation" shops on the boardwalk -- some outfitted with mini-ATM machines, leaf-shaped signage and playful sidewalk barkers dressed in green and welcoming passersby.
Unused church properties to be auctioned for quick sale
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia will auction off several properties in Philadelphia and the suburbs later this month in hopes of raising much-needed cash, it announced June 28. The two largest properties, a 48-acre tract in Plumstead, Bucks County and a 29.5-acre tract in Harleysville, Montgomery County had been purchased years ago in hopes they might be needed to accommodate an expansion of the Catholic population in those areas.