News

Church’s work of social justice encouraged at annual meeting

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- With stories of Dorothy Day, Rep. Wilbur Mills, Pope John Paul II, Flannery O'Connor and Cardinal Francis Spellman, as well as the humble saga of a poor immigrant from El Salvador and a mission parish in Papua New Guinea, Boston's cardinal archbishop called Catholic social ministry workers to be mentors and examples in living out the Gospel.

Benedict will be prayerful presence in next papacy, spokesman says

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Even though Pope Benedict XVI will spend his retirement near Rome and then inside Vatican City, he will not play any role in the upcoming election for a new pope, and he will not interfere with the responsibilities and decision-making activities of the new pontiff, the Vatican spokesman said.

Economist urges closer look at intersection of social thought, economy

WASHINGTON (CNS) — The tension in U.S. economic life is between “wealth creation” and “wealth capturing,” according to an economics professor who delivered a keynote address Feb. 11 at the 2013 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering in Washington. According to Charles M.A. Clark, a senior fellow at the Vincentian Center for Church & Society at St. […]

Pope to live in Vatican monastery established by Blessed John Paul

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican monastery where Pope Benedict XVI intends to live began its life as the Vatican gardener’s house, but was established as a cloistered convent by Blessed John Paul II in 1994. When Pope Benedict, 85, announced Feb. 11 that his age and declining energies prompted his decision to resign effective […]

St. Anne Parish preserving its legendary history at Villanova U’s website

As cemeteries go, St. Anne Cemetery, which is adjacent to St. Anne Church, in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia, is not large. Many if not most of the tombstones have seen their inscriptions obliterated and lost to memory, save that of a dwindling number of descendants, and the written records of the grand old church. That is about to change.

Brian Gail to speak at Catholic Professionals event in Malvern

The Catholic Professionals of Greater Philadelphia will host a meeting featuring Catholic businessman and speaker Brian Gail from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 14 at Malvern Retreat House’s Family Life Center, 315 South Warren Avenue, Malvern. The event is free but space is limited — make your reservation online today. Catholic Professionals of Greater Philadelphia is […]

In hindsight, Pope Benedict’s resignation seems almost predictable

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — As much as he astonished the world when he announced his resignation Feb. 11, Pope Benedict XVI’s decision seems almost predictable in hindsight. Given his previous statements on the subject and his recent signs of aging, one might say that people should have seen it coming. The real mystery now is […]

St. Peter Parish, West Brandywine, presents talk on adoption

“Adoption – the Loving Choice” is the topic of a presentation Monday, March 4 at 7 p.m. at St. Peter Parish, 2835 Manor Road in West Brandywine, Chester County. The presentation will be geared to couples with fertility issues, couples who are considering expanding their home to make room for a child who needs one, […]

Pope Benedict’s pontificate marked by teaching, call to return to faith

Citing his age and diminishing energy, the 85-year-old pope announced Feb. 11 that he would be resigning effective Feb. 28 and would devote the rest of his life to prayer. As pastor of the universal church, he used virtually every medium at his disposal — books and Twitter, homilies and encyclicals — to catechize the […]

Pope Benedict’s resignation will set in motion period of transition

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — While the surprise resignation of Pope Benedict XVI is a first for the church in centuries, it also leads to a complicated period of transition that ends in the election of a new pope. Regulated by ancient traditions and recent rules, the period between popes — known by the Latin term […]