News
CRS Lenten Series presents reflections by international, local speakers
The Catholic Relief Services annual Lenten Series continues in March with programs scheduled to take place at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center, 222 North 17th Street in Philadelphia. Reflections by a speaker working with CRS, along with questions and answers, will take place from noon to 1 p.m. A simple meal of soup and bread will […]
Jazz festival for grade school bands coming to Mater Dei School
Mater Dei Catholic School in Lansdale will host its first-ever Archdiocesan Jazz Festival Saturday, Feb. 23. Elementary and middle school bands from around Philadelphia, including Mater Dei’s band, will perform and compete for awards. Other participating schools include Our Lady of Mercy in Maple Glen, St. Joseph in Downingtown, St. Aloysius in Bryn Mawr, and others. […]
A voice that proposed love and fulfillment
The following editorial appeared in the Feb. 13 issue of The Record, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Perth, Australia. It was written by Peter Rosengren, the editor. It seems nearly impossible to say anything that will be unique or new about the most talked about news of the week, and probably of the year. However, […]
Parish volunteers fan out to help victims of severe Mississippi tornado
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (CNS) -- Just as they did following Hurricane Katrina and in response to other disasters, members of a Hattiesburg Catholic church joined together Feb. 16 and fanned out across the Hattiesburg area to help those impacted by the F-4 tornado that hit the area less than a week earlier. Nearly 140 volunteers met at St. Thomas Aquinas Church that morning for equipment, instructions and directions and then split into groups to help residents in six sites in the city most heavily damaged by the storm.
Pope considering last-minute changes to conclave rules, Vatican says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI is considering making some changes to the conclave rules and rituals before he leaves office Feb. 28, the Vatican spokesman confirmed. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the spokesman, told reporters Feb. 20 that any papal document is more likely to deal with possible discrepancies between the apostolic constitution governing […]
Dr. Billings dies at 95; she helped develop widely used method of NFP
MELBOURNE, Australia (CNS) — Dr. Evelyn Billings, who with her husband, John, pioneered research that led them to develop a form of natural family planning supported by the Catholic Church, died Feb. 16 after a short illness. She was 95. The Australian pediatrician joined her physician-husband’s team in 1965 as he was researching a more […]
Family remains ‘fundamental unit of human society,’ says Archbishop Paglia
UNITED NATIONS (CNS) — Despite threats on many sides and prophesies of its extinction, the traditional family remains a vital resource for society, according to speakers at a U.N. event Feb. 15. The panel was held in conjunction with the 51st session of the U.N. Commission for Social Development. It was sponsored by the Holy […]
Objection raised over benefits to same-sex partners of military members
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The U.S. Defense Department's new policy that confers some military benefits on the same-sex domestic partners of members of the military undermines the traditional definition of marriage, two archbishops said Feb. 15.
Church in Illinois decries state Senate vote on same-sex marriage
CHICAGO (CNS) — The head of the Catholic Conference of Illinois decried a Feb. 14 Illinois Senate vote to permit same-sex marriage in the state, calling it “redefinition of marriage legislation.” “Marriage joins a man and a woman in love to meet one another’s needs, to procreate and to raise children. This is the lifeblood […]
Cardinal focuses on evangelizing power of Catholic social teaching
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Taking the helm of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in 2009, near the beginning of the global financial crisis, Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson's work has focused heavily on promoting Pope Benedict XVI's calls for more carefully regulated international markets and for real solidarity with the poor. The 64-year-old former archbishop of Cape Coast, Ghana, also continued his longtime defense of Catholic teaching on the family while highlighting the connection between strong families and strong, peaceful societies.