Pope to Resign, Leaving Local Visit Uncertain

Pope Benedict XVI was scheduled to visit Southeastern PA in 2015.

In a surprise overnight (Eastern Standard Time) announcement Pope Benedict XVI says he will resign on Feb. 28. It is the first time a Roman Catholic Pope has resigned in nearly 600 years. In an official statement posted on Vatican Radio's website, the 85-year-old leader of the Roman Catholic Chuch cites fading strength and the demands of the job for his decision to step down. Dear Brothers, I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the …

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Archbishop Chaput's Christmas Commentary

The leader of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia reflects on Christmas and puts the holiday in context.

ARCHBISHOP CHAPUT'S WEEKLY COLUMN: CHRISTMAS AND THE REASON FOR OUR JOY "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased'" (Lk 2:12-14).  According to the evangelist, the angel "said" this.  But Christianity has always understood that the speech of angels is actually a song, in which all the glory of the great joy they proclaim becomes tangibly present.  And so, from that moment, the angels' song of praise has never gone silent.  It continues down the centuries in constantly new forms, and it resounds ever anew at the celebration of Jesus' birth. Benedict XVI "Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives"  For …

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Pope to Visit Region to Endorse Straight Marriage

Pope Benedict XVI will travel to Philadelphia for a World Family Summit in 2015 as the Roman Catholic Church makes a clear statement about gay marriage.

In a clear statement in support of traditional "one man-one woman" marriage in the United States, the Vatican has put Southeastern Pennsylvania at ground zero of the debate over gay marriage. The Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, which includes Roman Catholic Churches in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs, has announced it will host the Vatican's 2015 World Meeting of Families. The selection of Philadelphia came as Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput  attended this year's World Meeting in Milan, Italy over the weekend. The meeting is held once every three years. In making the announcement, the Archbishop also made his position on gay marriage clear, saying in a news release: "The family is founded on a deep and loving union …

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Randeroid

8:52 pm on Thursday, August 23, 2012

So many times we are reminded about people coming to America fleeing religious persecution. The over-simplified point we are told is that they came here for Freedom of Religion. Yet, just who was persecuting them, who were they fleeing? Was it secularists? No. They were fleeing persecution FROM Religion. They were fleeing people like Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Bill O’Reilly, and homophobic …   more ›

St. Monica School

St. Monica Merger with Malvern School is Off

A stunning announcement came Thursday evening in an email to St. Monica families.

In the latest and unexpected twist in what has been a roller coaster ride of emotions for over a month, St. Monica's Parish School will now not be merging with St. Patrick's Parish School in Malvern to form a new, regional school. The announcement came in an email sent by St. Monica Pastor Rev. William Trader to the Saint Monica Parish and school community just after 7 p.m. Thursday evening. The two schools were to be closed and merged into a new, consolidated school on the St. Patrick's campus in Malvern. St. Patrick's appealed the Archdiocesan Blue Ribbon Commission decision, but had been instructed by Archbishop Charles Chaput to move forward with planning for the new school during the appeal process. Just last week the two schools …

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