News
Nearly 800 people join the Church
Carl Kelley, 67, regularly attended Mass at St. Raymond of Penafort Parish in Philadelphia with his Catholic wife and raised his children Catholic. Baptized into the Baptist church, Kelley said that for years “my whole being had been drawing toward the Church.” It took an invitation and some prodding from two parishioners for Kelley formally […]
May/June events
Spiritual Novenas The Miraculous Medal Shrine in Philadelphia will hold its regular Monday novena with Father Stephen Cantwell, C.M., as principal homilist on May 7. He will preach on “Our Lady of Fatima” at the 9 a.m. and 12:05 p.m. novena prayers and Mass. On May 14, Father Carl Pieber, C.M., will preach on “Mary, […]
Cent’anni for St. Nicholas Parish
St. Nicholas of Tolentine Parish in South Philadelphia celebrated “Cent’anni,” 100 years of service to the Italian community in South Philadelphia on April 29. Its actual beginnings were as a mission chapel of nearby Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish (1898-1932). Augustinian Father John Cerutti, formerly the administrator, became the first official pastor. The parish […]
Cathedral to receive award for preservation
The Preservation Alliance of the Greater Philadelphia Area has selected the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul, the mother church of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, to receive one of its 2012 Preservation Achievement Grand Jury awards. The award will be presented at the 19th annual Preservation Achievement Awards Luncheon May 8 in Philadelphia. A two-year overhaul of the exterior of the iconic center city Philadelphia cathedral was completed early this year. The project included a thorough cleaning of the aqua-toned oxidized copper dome, cleaning and testing all exterior stone, repairing all exterior damage caused by 100 years of weathering and adding a new gold leaf finish to the 11-foot cross at the top of the dome.
Penn Relays: a Philadelphia track tradition
It is a fascinating spectacle that attracts thousands of athletes from hundreds of different schools from all across the nation. It entices celebrities to descend upon Philadelphia for almost an entire week. It is the Penn Relays, and from April 26 through April 28, the University of Pennsylvania’s Franklin Field played host to what was […]
Priest a constant at Conwell-Egan
For 54 years, Father Fidelis Weber has walked the halls of Conwell-Egan (formerly Bishop Egan) High School in Fairless Hills. While the name and location of the school has changed over the decades, Father Fidelis, teacher of English, Spanish and religion, and director of the guidance office, has remained a constant. The Third Order Regular […]
Legatus members meet new CRS president
How many social or professional organizations precede their monthly dinner with confessions, the rosary and Mass? Probably not many, but Legatus does. In 1988 when Thomas Monaghan, the founder of Domino’s Pizza, established Legatus as an organization for Catholic business leaders and their spouses, he modeled it somewhat after Young Presidents, a similar organization that […]
Chicago Archdiocese offers free burial services to indigents, unborn
CHICAGO (CNS) — Eighteen simple wooden caskets containing indigent adults and unborn babies sat atop graves at Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery awaiting burial April 25. Beside them stood funeral directors dressed in black and holding single white carnations. Just minutes before, each casket was removed from funeral hearses, which made a procession with a police […]
Father Schifalacqua, pastor emeritus of Our Lady of Loreto Parish, dies at 93
Father Ildebrando E. Schifalacqua, 93 and a priest for almost 69 years, died in West Cape May, N.J., April 27. Born in South Philadelphia, the son of the late Ildebrando Schifalacqua and the late Ida De Sanctis Schifalacqua, he was educated in Philadelphia public schools and briefly at Roman Catholic High School before entering a […]
Archdiocese of Philadelphia joins Great Schools Compact
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia schools and the public and charter schools of Philadelphia took what could be a major step forward in cooperation on April 23 when the Archdiocese formally joined the Great Schools Compact which seeks to provide increased access to higher performing schools throughout the city. Archbishop Charles Chaput signed the formal document […]