News
St. Hubert High School celebrates anniversary of school remaining open
Hundreds of students, faculty, alumnae, family and friends of St. Hubert High School for Girls celebrated the one year anniversary of the school remaining open on Sunday February 24, 2013. The group gathered at the intersection of Cottman and Frankford Avenues and walked to the front steps of the school where they sung the school’s Alma […]
Father Maher, ordained late in life and known for kindness, is laid to rest
Father Edmund J. Maher, 84, whose vocation to the priesthood came to fruition later in life, died Feb. 26. Father Maher was born in New York City, the son of the late Bernard J. and Evelyn M. (Feeney) Maher. He attended Niagara University, La Salle College and Temple University, and taught social science and history […]
Advisory boards formed to support Catholic elementary schools in Archdiocese
One of the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission for Catholic Education was that parish and regional Catholic grade schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia be advised by an Executive Board of Elementary Education. Little more than a year later, the recommendation has come to pass with the announcement March 4 of the creation of that board to serve the whole Archdiocese, and the commitment to create advisory councils in each of the five counties.
Between popes, a time of speculation and suspense
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The period immediately following a pontificate is one of excited speculation, more or less loose, about the identity of the next pope. Though secrecy rules do not forbid cardinals from naming their preferences, custom and prudence effectively do. In any case, as history shows, once the electors get behind locked doors, their deliberations take on a dynamic impossible to forecast or affect from outside.
Father Kapaun, Korean War hero, to receive Medal of Honor in April
WICHITA, Kan. (CNS) -- Father Emil Kapaun, whose actions as a U.S. Army chaplain during the Korean War saved the lives of dozens of soldiers in the field and in a North Korean prisoner of war camp before his death, will be awarded the Medal of Honor. A priest of the Diocese of Wichita, Kan., Father Kapaun will be honored during ceremonies at the White House April 11 and at the Pentagon the next day.
Deficit forces layoffs, ministry consolidation in Chicago Archdiocese
CHICAGO (CNS) -- The Chicago Archdiocese has laid off 60 pastoral center employees and must consolidate some of its agencies because of a deficit in the budget of its administrative operations, according to Cardinal Francis E. George. The archdiocese's "administrative operations have run operating deficits of more than $30 million in each of the past four years," the cardinal said.
Christ the King Parish sets 50th anniversary celebration
Christ the King Parish in Morrell Park, Northeast Philadelphia, invites all present and past parishioners and friends of the parish for the closing of its 50th anniversary year. The celebration begins with Mass at 11 a.m. Sunday, June 23 in the recently renovated church. A banquet will follow at 4 p.m. at the Philadelphia Ballroom […]
Mass at Cathedral offers prayers for papal election
Archbishop Charles J. Chaput will celebrate Mass this Sunday, March 3, at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul, Philadelphia, for the election of a new pope. Confessions begin at 5:30 p.m. and Mass at 6:30. All priests are invited to concelebrate and all the faithful are welcome to attend. Guidelines have been provided to assist everyone in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia during this period of the papal transition to unite all in prayer with the Church and with one another. Archbishop Chaput will offer an additional Mass after the election of the new pope at a date yet to be determined.
Arkansas lawmakers override governor’s veto of fetal pain bill
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (CNS) -- Both houses of the Arkansas Legislature voted to override Gov. Mike Beebe's veto of a fetal pain bill, outlawing most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Medical evidence suggests that the unborn can feel pain beginning around 20 weeks of life.
Catholic agencies aid Japanese tsunami survivors in struggle to recover
Rosalinda Nakanome's home in a northeastern Japanese coastal town was washed away nearly two years by a tsunami caused by an earlier earthquake. Her whole family -- two small children, husband and in-laws -- were safe but today they continue to live in cramped quarters in temporary housing, like thousands of others. "If you visit places hit by the tsunami, you see nice buildings, and also kids going to school," said Divine Word Father Daisuke Narui, executive director of Caritas Japan. "They do their work, they do daily living. But their mental side ... they need help."