News
St. Barbara Parish marks feast day, holds Christmas bazaar
St. Barbara Parish celebrates its feast day Sunday, Dec. 2 with Mass at 9 a.m. at the church located at 54th Street and Lebanon Avenue in Philadelphia. A reception for fellowship follows in the parish hall. All are welcome. The St. Barbara Social Trendsetters will hold the parish’s annual Christmas bazaar the previous day on […]
Renowned Catholic writer to give ‘energy boost’ retreat
Are you in need of a spiritual energy boost? Come on a retreat with Timothy Gray at Malvern Retreat House and enjoy his talk, “Biblical Reflections: A Faith Worth Dying For” Friday to Sunday, Dec. 14-16. Gray, a nationally renowned Catholic speaker and writer, shares how Scripture can give you a significant energy boost for […]
Catholic Life Congress helps 700 people share their faith with others
In a message to the more than 700 teachers and catechists who attended Catholic Life Congress Nov. 17, Archbishop Charles Chaput said, “The Second Vatican Council, which began its work exactly 50 years ago this fall, reminded us that Jesus founded His Church to be a lumen gentium – a ‘light to the nations.’ At baptism each of us becomes part of that light. Nobody can really follow Jesus Christ without also preaching and teaching Christ to the world around us. “As we grow, it becomes our task to form our hearts and minds in the light of God’s truth, and to bring other people to believe in Him.”
Catholics in Archdiocese reach out, give much to victims of Superstorm Sandy
Hurricane Sandy, which struck the East Coast during the last week of October, may have been mostly hype in Philadelphia but it was absolutely devastating elsewhere. Especially hard-hit were neighbors in New Jersey and New York, and also a serious matter in places like Bucks County that experienced extended power outages. Here in the Archdiocese […]
School and pre-K programs touted at open house
SS. Colman – John Neumann School, Byrn Mawr, invites guests to tour the school, meet the principal and learn about the excellent academic program and the new and expanded facilities during the school’s open house Sunday, Dec. 2 at 11:30 a.m. An information session about the pre-K programs for 3- and 4-year-old children will begin […]
Youths giving ‘absolutely incredible’ aid to storm victims
NEW YORK (CNS) — Father Donald Baker is really impressed by how young Catholics have really stepped up to help those affected the most by Hurricane Sandy. “The ‘millennials,’ those young people in the neighborhood who are in their 20s — who’ve become adults since the millennium — have been outstanding — absolutely incredible,” said […]
The ‘green’ pope: Benedict’s calls to care for creation earn notice
WASHINGTON (CNS) — Care for creation has been a hallmark of Pope Benedict XVI’s papacy. From his 2009 encyclical “Caritas in Veritate” (“Charity in Truth”) to his leadership in guiding the Vatican to reduce its carbon footprint, Pope Benedict continues an 800-year Catholic tradition of holding up the environment as a gift from God that […]
Israel, Hamas must make tough decisions to end violence, bishop says
JERUSALEM (CNS) — The Israeli government and leaders of Hamas must make courageous decisions to end the violence that has once again forced residents of Southern Israel into their bomb shelters and residents of the Gaza Strip into their homes, said Auxiliary Bishop William Shomali of Jerusalem. “We are sad for this escalation. It does […]
Ethnic violence growing in Congo, Jesuit Refugee Service reports
ROME (CNS) — Jesuit Refugee Service has launched an alarm about brutal killings and village burnings by Congolese rebels from different ethnic groups, saying the violence has gone unchecked while peacekeeping forces and the army try to put down a rebellion. In the past three months in the Masisi territory of eastern Congo, civilians “have […]
Americans United for Life files brief against HHS contraceptive mandate
WASHINGTON (CNS) — Americans United for Life filed a brief Nov. 13 in Nebraska v. Health and Human Services, a case initiated by the state of Nebraska and six other states challenging the HHS mandate requiring most employers, including religious employers, to provide free coverage of contraceptives. The Washington-based group filed the brief on behalf […]