News

Bishops from northeastern US begin ‘ad limina’ visits with prayer

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Praying together at the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul and meeting Pope Benedict XVI should be a moment for bishops to reconfirm and strengthen their faith, said Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston.

Strengthening a city neighborhood

  Giovanni Morante, 56, who was administrator of Catholic Social Service’s Casa Del Carmen for 16 years until taking a leave for health reasons in 2010, was honored by his friends and colleagues Oct. 14. That’s also when Casa’s brand-new playground, with its various-sized slides, climbers, chinning bars and rings, was formally christened as “Giovanni’s […]

Bishops urge Senate committee to uphold Defense of Marriage Act

WASHINGTON (CNS) — The U.S. bishops have urged the Senate Judiciary Committee not to repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act, known as DOMA, calling it important for human rights and the common good. “DOMA advances the common good in a manner consistent with the human dignity of all persons,” Bishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of […]

Physicists, cosmologists meet at Vatican to discuss nature of universe

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — World-renown physicists, who study everything from imperceptible particles to the expanding cosmos, came together for a Vatican-sponsored conference on the “new frontier of physics” — the sub-nuclear world of electrons, hadrons and neutrinos.

Day of the Dead takes on new meaning amid violence in Mexico

TEPOZTLAN, Mexico (CNS) — “Dia de los Muertos,” the traditional Mexican commemoration of deceased loved ones, has taken on a deeper meaning in light of drug-related violence in recent years. Drug-related killings have been on the rise since 2006, surpassing 15,000 in 2010, according to a study commissioned by the Trans-Border Institute at the University […]

Disability awareness workshop held at Maternity B.V.M Church

A disabilities workshop was held Saturday, Oct. 22 in the meeting hall of Maternity B.V.M Church in northeast Philadelphia. Mark Overwise led the workshop, and Josephine Raspanti, Nancy Zimmer, Joan Kelly and Julie Herrmann also gave presentations. The workshop included a discussion about how disabled people have been treated in the past and the changes […]

St. Margaret School students walk to raise money

Students from St. Margaret School in Narberth along with their parents and teachers participated in a walkathon through Narberth and the surrounding community d to raise funds for school capital expenses. Installation of Smart Boards in every classroom from kindergarten to 8th grade and new windows throughout the building are some of the examples where […]

‘On the go’ with three-sport athlete

When you have three younger siblings, responsibility often trumps fun. Child sitting. Helping out with homework and chores. Setting a good example. Not exactly frolicking in a carefree environment, but Pope John Paul II High School junior Marley Golato isn’t complaining. “Sometimes it can be annoying, but I really don’t mind it,” Golato said. “It’s […]

Among Assisi participants, a sense of deeper crisis in modern society

ASSISI, Italy (CNS) — A common thread ran through many of the speeches and invocations of this year’s “prayer for peace” encounter in Assisi: the uneasy sense that the world is facing not merely conflicts and wars, but a much broader crisis that affects social and cultural life in every country. Environmental damage, the rich-poor […]

St. Eleanor Parish celebrates 100 years

St. Eleanor Parish in Collegeville officially celebrated its 100th anniversary on Oct. 16, and Archbishop Charles Chaput visited to celebrate Mass and dedicate its new parish center. It was certainly needed because the bustling Montgomery County parish boasts at least 5,100 families and it is still growing.