CatholicPhilly

Archbishop Pérez

Archbishop Pérez Sends Letter to the Jewish Community in Preparation for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur

Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez sent a letter Sept. 9 to the Jewish community on the approach of the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

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Local News

Handmade Santas Keep Archbishop Wood Teacher’s Legacy Alive

For nine years, Gabbie Snyder and Gail Roessler have honored their late sister, longtime Archbishop Wood teacher Gerri Garofalo, by making handmade Santas from Catholic school uniforms to raise money for a scholarship in her memory.

New Jersey Catholic Artist Records 1,000-Year-Old Gregorian Chant

Dr. Carly York believes she has recorded “O Nata Lux de Lumine” for the first time in history. Chant, she said, “helps us enter into a spirit of reverence before the Lord … because it's so different from anything else we hear in modern life.”

Catholics Praise God’s Gift of Nature in Care for Creation Mass

The Mass at St. John the Evangelist Church in Center City Philadelphia Sept. 2 kicked off the five-week Season of Creation, tied to the life of St. Francis of Assisi.

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Photo features

Seminary Opens 195th Academic Year with Mass of the Holy Spirit

During the Mass, new faculty and staff made their Profession of Faith and Oath of Fidelity. Traditionally, new and returning seminarians receive a blessing from the Archbishop as they start off the academic year.

Photos: Seminarians Return to St. Charles Borromeo Seminary

Seminarians returned to St. Charles Borromeo Seminary Aug. 25 for the start of the 2026-27 academic year, marking 195 years of priestly formation. See a photo gallery.

St. Francis of Assisi Dedicates Rebuilt School Building After 2024 Fire

The Delaware County school community gathered Sept. 1 to celebrate the dedication and blessing of its rebuilt primary building, which was destroyed by a fire in October 2024.

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Calendar of Events

History Fair to Highlight Philadelphia’s Catholic Heritage

The St. Augustine Heritage Foundation will host a history fair from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Oct. 10 at St. Augustine Church in Philadelphia.

In Pursuit: Philadelphia and the Making of America Screening at St. Augustine Sept. 21

This compelling film explores the people, movements, and pivotal moments that have shaped Philadelphia and the nation.

EcoPhilly Hosts Season of Creation Synodal Conversations

EcoPhilly and its partners will host three public synodal listening sessions this fall, inviting participants to reflect on the themes of "the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor" during the Season of Creation.

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Spirituality

Work of Healing Relationships Done With Love, in Model of Jesus’ Passion

The readings for this Sunday concern reconciliation when the bonds of communion among persons are damaged or broken. Jesus directs us to work together, with His help, to heal those wounds, writes Msgr. Joseph Prior.

The Messiah Who Suffers, and Calls Us to Follow

God saves us not by avoiding suffering but by bearing it, entering into it and transforming it from within, and showing us the way we should follow Jesus each day, writes Father Eric Banecker.

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Vatican News

This Week: Like a Fast Car, AI Needs Good Brakes, Experts Say

CatholicPhilly presents a weekly roundup of international news from Vatican News, the official news portal of the Holy See. The following report on the week of August 30, 2026 links to stories on VaticanNews.va.

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People and Events

Project Magis to Honor Allen D. Wilen with 2026 Award

Project Magis will honor Allen D. Wilen with its 2026 Magis Award for his leadership in helping nonprofit, health care and faith-based organizations navigate crises while safeguarding vulnerable populations and advancing the common good.

Archdiocesan Office of Catholic Education Announces HR Leadership Transition

The Office of Catholic Education announced Aug. 19 that longtime Human Resources Director James J. Molnar will transition to a part-time leadership development role Oct. 1 as Jessa Lodovici, a veteran Archdiocesan HR manager and Rising Stars Leadership Program graduate, prepares to succeed him.

Local Parishioner Named to Xavier Society for the Blind’s Board of Directors

Bill McCann, founder of the assistive music technology company Dancing Dots and a parishioner of St. Isaac Jogues Parish in Wayne, has been appointed to the board of directors of Xavier Society for the Blind.

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Commentaries

The Difference One Person Can Make

Our smallest acts of love, including especially the gift of our active listening to the people God has placed in our lives, have tremendous value, writes Anne DeSantis.

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USCCB

Bishop Zaidan Encourages Robust International Humanitarian Response Following Devastating Floods in Nepal

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250th Anniversary

Quakers’ Toleration Led Skeptical Young Nation to Accept Catholics as Americans

Catholics were present in colonial America but faced restrictions and discrimination. In Philadelphia, the cradle of religious liberty, they found freedom to worship and earned respect from their peers.

Not All Were Patriots: Remembering American Catholics Loyal to the British Crown

While many noted 18th century Catholics sided with the American patriots during the Revolution, numerous lesser-known Catholics sided with Crown forces – and paid a price when they left Philadelphia.

Catholics Had Prominent Roles in Last 3 Milestone Celebrations of America’s Founding

The large-scale commemorations of 1876, 1926, and 1976 in Philadelphia saw contributions and leadership from the Catholic community, a local historian points out.

George Meade’s Catholic Faith Made Him a Merchant of the Revolution

The Philadelphia philanthropist and father of 10 played a major economic role in funding the American colonists’ eventual victory over the British empire.

Catholic Faith Shaped Commodore John Barry’s Life, Service in American Revolution

The Irish immigrant’s legacy and his imprint on the United States Navy affords him a permanent place of honor in Philadelphia.

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Hispanic Catholics

Santa Teresa de Calcuta: Amar a Jesús en los más pequeños – La Voz de Dios Aug. 30, 2026

En este episodio de La Voz de Dios, Marianela reflexiona sobre la vida y el extraordinario testimonio de Santa Teresa de Calcuta.

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