News

U.S. Catholic school enrollment dropped last year but 28 schools opened

HOUSTON (CNS) -- Catholic educators opened 28 new schools and closed or consolidated 148 others during the 2012-13 school year, according to a report issued by the National Catholic Educational Association. And while a number of Catholic schools have closed, more than 32 percent of U.S Catholic schools have waiting lists.

New book on American nuns tells tales of sacrifice, dedication, faith

It started with 12 and how appropriate that would be. That was in 1727, when 12 Ursuline Sisters arrived in New Orleans, ­long before it was part of the United States. They were the vanguard for a vast army of women religious in America that probably peaked at about 180,000 around 1965 and has since dwindled to 54,000.

Sister Irene Regina, I.H.M.

Sister Irene Regina, I.H.M., formerly Irene McConnell, died March 25 in Camilla Hall, Immaculata, after a brief illness. She was in the 59th year of her religious and was 76.   Born in Philadelphia, Sister Irene entered the Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1954 from St. Athanasius Parish […]

13 state AGs urge wider exemption for contraceptive mandate

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Thirteen state attorneys general asked the federal government to expand the religious exemption under the Affordable Care Act's contraceptive mandate to private companies. They said in a March 26 letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius that the exemption should be extended beyond religious institutions.

College presidents discuss promoting Catholic identity on campus

The president of Neumann University in Aston was one of four presidents of Catholic institutions of higher learning who spoke about the findings of a new study titled "The Catholic College and University President." "Catholic presidents need to be intentional" about their school's Catholic identity and they cannot expect it to just happen on its own, said Rosalie Mirenda, president of Neumann University.

Students want to ease global poverty; Villanova conference shows them how

More than 160 students of Villanova University and Cabrini College learned how to break into the field of global development and poverty relief through presentations at the Global Development Day hosted April 2 at Villanova along with partner Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. Catholic bishops’ overseas relief and development agency.

Sister Theresa O’Donnell, S.H.C.J., longtime teacher in U.S., dies at 84

Sister Theresa O’Donnell, who was a Sister of the Holy Child Jesus for 62 years, died of heart failure on Easter Sunday, March 31, at Holy Child Center in Rosemont. She was 84. Born in Philadelphia, Sister Theresa graduated from West Philadelphia Catholic Girls High School in 1946. She entered the Society of the Holy […]

On World Autism Day, remember love and affection, archbishop says

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — While the medical world makes technological advancements, it must not forget the power of love and affection in helping those with autism and their families, said Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski. “Faced with the problems and difficulties that these children and their parents encounter, the church proposes, with humility, an approach of service […]

Pope Francis tours excavated area near St. Peter’s tomb

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis became the first pope to tour the excavated necropolis where St. Peter is buried, said Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman. With explanations from the two directors of the necropolis, the pope walked down the central path between the mostly second-century burial chambers April 1, then went up a slight incline toward the tomb of Peter, which is directly under the main altar of St. Peter's Basilica.

Sister Julia Hare, S.H.C.J., dies at 100

Sister Julia Hare, who was a Sister of the Holy Child Jesus for 79 years, died of heart failure March 22 at Holy Child Center in Rosemont. She was 100. Born in Suffern, N.Y., Sister Julia graduated from Holy Child High School, Suffern, in 1929. She entered the Society of the Holy Child Jesus in […]