News
St. Laurence School opens new science lab
St. Laurence School in Upper Darby welcomed Bishop Robert P. Maginnis to the Delaware County parish school as he blessed its new science lab Saturday, Oct. 20. The lab provides students from pre-K through eighth grade with hand-on science experiences utilizing everything teachers and students need from lab coats to microscopes to test tubes and […]
Young adult day of renewal
All young adults (18-39) are invited to a special day of faith, formation and fellowship at Hearts on Fire: Day of Renewal for Young Adults on Saturday, Dec. 1 at Immaculata University. This one-day retreat for young adults is conducted by the Jesuit Apostleship of Prayer Mission Band from Milwaukee, Wisc., and is great way […]
Spokane Diocese accuses law firm that handled bankruptcy of malpractice
SPOKANE, Wash. (CNS) -- The Spokane Diocese has filed a lawsuit accusing a law firm of malpractice in handling its bankruptcy to address civil lawsuits claiming clergy sex abuse and settle financial claims of victims. Filed Oct. 8 in Spokane County Superior Court, the suit seeks more than $12 million in repayment of legal fees. The suit accuses the attorneys of a conflict of interest because they also represented Spokane Bishop William S. Skylstad, now retired, and shielded him, it says, from having to testify at the first civil trial in 2004 alleging abuse by a Spokane priest by filing for bankruptcy as the trial was about to begin.
Synod’s tone reflects ‘struggle between good and evil,’ cardinal says
If the Synod of Bishops on the new evangelization has seemed to lack a certain "fire and energy," the gathering's sober tone reflects the fact that the Catholic Church is "in the midst of an enormous struggle between good and evil," said Australian Cardinal George Pell of Sydney. "It's much easier to reorganize a seminary; it's a different challenge to spark a religious revival," especially in most modern cultures, the cardinal told reporters Oct. 19.
Half of Hispanics favor legalizing same-sex marriage, study finds
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- More than 50 percent of Hispanics now favor legalizing same-sex marriage, marking nearly a statistical flip-flop in the six years since the Pew Hispanic Center first began asking that question. However, majorities of those who attend religious services most regularly continue to oppose such marriages.
Charter school enrollment surpasses Catholic schools
WASHINGTON (CNS) — For the first time, more children are enrolled in charter schools than in Catholic schools, reported the Lexington Institute, a think tank in Arlington, Va., that focuses on the role of federal government in education reform, tax reform and national security. “Our clients are going elsewhere; we have to do something different […]
Bl. John Paul II added to liturgical calendar starting Oct. 22, 2013
Blessed John Paul II will be included in liturgies as an optional memorial in the proper calendar of the dioceses of the United States, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announced Oct. 19. The U.S. bishops last November voted overwhelmingly to request the addition of the popular pope, who reigned for 27 years, into the U.S. […]
Native Americans feel ‘pulled up’ by Blessed Kateri becoming a saint
LA CROSSE, Wis. (CNS) — Since 1997, Eleanor St. John has lived for the day when one of her greatest heroes would be recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church — Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha. That year St. John attended her first Tekakwitha Conference, named for the young maiden known as the “Lily of the […]
Kateri and Jake: American Indians are joined in sainthood cause
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Jake Finkbonner knows what it’s like to have kids tease him because of the way he looks, but one of his heroes also grew up being teased. The 12-year-old boy said Kateri Tekakwitha, who was to become an official saint Oct. 21, was “an inspiration because I remember reading that many […]
People need to believe in miracles, says woman cured of infection
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Though she had always believed in miracles, Sharon Smith never dreamed she would be the recipient of one. Her unexplained recovery from a near fatal infection in 2005 was the second miracle that cleared the way for the Oct. 21 canonization of Blessed Marianne Cope. Smith will present Pope Benedict XVI […]