News
District One hoops champ Villa Maria plays family-style, win or lose
To say that most people figured Villa Maria Academy’s basketball team would have enough ammunition to make a bunch of noise in the postseason would be, well, inaccurate. For good reason. [hotblock] When you lose four standout starters and then need to rely on one primo performer and a horde of relatively inexperienced underclassmen, expectations […]
Obama lights candles, prays at Bethlehem’s Church of Nativity compound
U.S. President Barack Obama, visiting the West Bank city of Bethlehem, stopped twice to light candles for his family and himself: first at the Church of Nativity grotto, where Christian tradition holds that Jesus was born, then at the adjacent Catholic Church of St. Catherine. On the last leg of his four-day visit to Israel […]
St. Anastasia’s girls win state CYO basketball title
St. Anastasia of Newtown Square won the girls state CYO championship March 17 by beating St. Gabriel’s of the Pittsburgh Diocese 36-21 to win the title game at Lancaster Catholic High School. St. Anastasia’s girls won the archdiocesan CYO championship the week earlier and the right to represent the Archdiocese in the state tournament. Shown below […]
St. Maximilian Kolbe wins archdiocesan boys CYO basketball title
St. Maximilian Kolbe, West Chester, finished a perfect season with a 58-53 win over parochial powerhouse St. Andrew’s, Newtown, to win its first boys archdiocesan Catholic Youth Organization basketball championship March 9 in front of a capacity crowd at Archbishop Wood High School in Warminster. (See a photo of the girls CYO basketball state champion, […]
CSS so good at supporting pregnant women, state agency gives it top award
Catholic Social Services (CSS) of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia has been named Pennsylvania’s Service Provider of the Year by the Harrisburg-based Real Alternatives, a state-funded nonprofit that administers the Alternative to Abortion Services Program of the Commonwealth.
Archbishop Ryan HS, Holy Family U, agree to stronger ties in Northeast Phila.
Students and faculty at Archbishop Ryan High School will soon be able to earn college-level credits or continuing education credits and a smoother college admissions process through a new partnership with Holy Family University.
Syrian Christians turn to Turkish churches, not refugee camps, for help
ISTANBUL (CNS) -- Churches and monasteries in Turkey are struggling to shelter a rising number of Syrian Christian refugees who are reluctant to seek help at government-run relief camps because of reported Muslim extremism, said a Catholic Relief Services staffer.
Pope says religions must cooperate to remind humanity God exists
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- For the good of all people, the care of the poor and the future of the Earth, religions must cooperate in reminding modern men and women that God exists and has a plan for their lives and their behavior, Pope Francis said.
Pope uniquely positioned to foster peace, says N.J.’s Congressman Smith
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Princes and presidents, diplomats and dictators, patriarchs and pastors came together in St. Peter's Square to witness the inauguration of Pope Francis' ministry. Any signs of animosity or favor were set aside as more than 130 government representatives, as well as dozens of religious leaders, sat side by side at the March 19 ceremony.
Terri Schiavo’s memory honored with upcoming Mass, dinner
Terri Schindler Schiavo, a comatose young woman who died in Florida March 31, 2005 after being denied nutrition and hydration despite a long court battle, has not been forgotten. On Friday, April 5, Archbishop Charles Chaput will celebrate a 5 p.m. Mass in Terri’s memory at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul. This will be followed by a dinner at the Philadelphia Downtown Marriot Hotel at 12th and Market streets, sponsored by the Terri Schiavo Life and Hope Network.