Archdiocese Sponsors Traditional Marriage March

The Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia is the sole sponsor of its kind supporting a traditional-marriage march in D.C.

When organizers and activists march on Washington D.C. in support of traditional marriage, only one archdiocese in the country will be recognized as a sponsor of the event: ours. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia is currently the sole diocesan sponsor of the upcoming Marriage March on March 26. The event is planned in conjunction with the Supreme Court’s hearings on the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 8, which outlawed same-sex marriages in California. “We believe it is imperative that political leaders, the media, and the culture see that we care about protecting marriage enough to stand up and march for it,” the group said on its website. Supporters of the march include several state and national pastor groups…

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Star Thrower

9:44 am on Thursday, March 28, 2013

You better find an alternate way of comprehension roid .. the 100 times the number of sexual abuses by teacher than by priest .. stands on its own merit - and if you do the math and divide 4.5 M by 11,000 it actually appears more than 400 times the number .. seems you are still posting nothing whatsoever, to refute the findings that I referenced .. my credibility continues upward old boy, while …   more ›

St. Monica School

St. Monica's Kids Start a New Chapter

Wednesday was a day St. Monica families had dreaded last winter. So, how did it go?

When word came from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia that St. Monica School in Berwyn would close in June, parents, students, faculty and staff were crushed. Wednesday marked the first day of school for students in Archdiocese schools, including former St. Monica Students. A dozen students in the Country Gate neighborhood are starting at St. Katharine's School in Wayne this fall. Wednesday morning worries started giving way to smiles as former St. Monica students waited to the bus to take them to their new school. So, how was the first day at the St. Monica's students new school? Katie Krisko sent in this report on the first day of school for, along with the photo. We have 12 children from Country Gate Road who sadly left SMS. We were so …

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Archdiocese: Schools to Form Independent System

Faith in the Future Foundation will manage new Philadelphia Catholic school system.

Continuing a year of restructuring, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced Tuesday it would create a new independently managed Catholic school system for area high schools and special education schools. In a press conference at St. Hubert's High School in Northeast Philadelphia, Archbishop Charles Chaput said the Faith in the Future Foundation—which oversaw the mergings and closings of elementary schools earlier this year—would manage 17 high schools and four special education schools beginning Sept. 1. Chaput said the independent system would focus on major fundraising, enrollment management, marketing and cultivating best practices in leadership and education. "The willingness of lay leaders with a love for Catholic education to step …

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Catholic Priest Convicted in Sex Abuse Case

A Philadelphia jury reaches a split decision, including the first conviction of its kind of an American Catholic Clergyman.

For the first time ever in the U.S. a jury in Philadelphia has convicted a Roman Catholic clergyman on one charge of child endangerment related to the child sex abuse scandal that has rocked the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Monsignor William Lynn was found guilty of helping the Philadelphia Archdiocese keep predators in ministry, and the public in the dark, by telling parishes their priests were being removed for health reasons and then sending the men to unsuspecting churches. That was the allegation of prosecutors who also charged Lynn, 61, with two counts of conspiracy. The jury deadlocked on the conspiracy charge. Lynn was immediately led out of the courtroom in handcuffs and off to a Philadelphia jail. Read a full account of the trial…

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St. Monica School

St. Monica's School: What's Next For Kids?

The school St. Monica was originally supposed to merge with extends an olive branch.

One of the biggest questions looming for many parents and students at St. Monica School in Berwyn is where current students will attend school in the fall. Many had hoped St. Monica students would go to a regional school that would have been created after both St. Monica and St.Patrick in Malvern closed and consolidated. That was the original plan as outlined by the Archdiocesan Blue Ribbon Commission on School Closings on January 6. St. Patrick's appealed the decision and persuaded Archbishop Charles Chaput to keep St. Patrick's open. The ruling leaves St. Monica closed and standing at the altar without a new school partner or the new regional school. It also apparently left some bad feelings, or at least the potential for bad feelings, …

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St. Monica School

Pastor: The Numbers Don't Add Up For SMS

Saint Monica's Pastor tells School and Parish families that the numbers just don't add up to keep the school open.

The pastor of St. Monica's Parish in Berwyn says he will not personally get behind efforts to save the parish school because the numbers simply don't add up. Father William Trader sent an open letter to St. Monica's church and school families Monday afternoon indicating the roller coaster ride St. Monica's has been on since January has been difficult for him as well as the students, parents and staff of St. Monica's School. Trader told the school and church community that the enrollment and tuition numbers simply add up to a conclusion that is not in the best interest of the students or their education. "If I supported this effort, the remaining families who did not opt for Save SMS would be required to pay out of parish rates in …

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A Major Figure in Priest Sex Scandal Dies

Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua had just been ruled competent by a judge to testify in the trial of several priests.

A spokeswoman for the Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia confirms that Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua has died at age 88. in a press release late Tuesday night Spokewoman Donna Farrell says "Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua, Archbishop Emeritus of Philadelphia, died on January 31, 2012 at the age of 88. Cardinal Bevilacqua died tonight at 9:15 p.m. at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary, where he resided,  in his sleep.   Cardinal Bevilacqua served as Archbishop of Philadelphia from February 11, 1988 to October 7, 2003. He was elevated to the College of Cardinals on June 28, 1991.  Funeral arrangements are pending." Bevilacqua has been a major figure in the Catholic priest sex scandal that has rocked parishes from the Upper Main Line and …

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St. Monica School

New Revelations in the St.Monica Closing

A letter from St. Monica's pastor reveals the basis for a school closing and consolidation appeal by St. Patrick School in Malvern. Both schools are scheduled to close in June and form a regional school in the fall.

A letter sent to parishioners, school families and friends of St. Monica in Berwyn sheds some new light on the appeal process for Catholic schools recommended for closing in the Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. St. Monica in Berwyn was told on January 6 that the school would be closed, as would St. Patrick's parish school in Malvern. Under the recommendation of the Archdiocesan Blue Ribbon Commission a new regional school would be created, probably under a new name, on the current St. Patrick campus in Malvern. Late last week St. Patrick appealed the recommendation in a decision that "dumbfounded" the leaders at St. Monica. On Monday morning (January 30) the principals, pastors and others from both schools met with two representatives…

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St. Monica School

New Developments in St. Monica School Closing

The pastor of St. Monica Church in Berwyn tells parish and school families "we are as dumbfounded as you are."

The Pastor and Principal of St. Monica Church and School in Berwyn have spent most of January helping parishoners, families, and students come to terms with the news that the St. Monica School will close at the end of June. The Blue Ribbon Commission of the Philadelphia Catholic Archdiocese announced in early January that St. Monica and St. Patrick's school in Malvern would be closed and consolidated on the Malvern campus of St. Patrick's. Thursday afternoon St. Monica Pastor Father Bill Trader sent an email to the St.Monica community announcing that St.Patrick has decided to appeal the Blue Ribbon Commission's recommendation. Here is the text of the letter sent to St.Monica families on Thursday afternoon. Dear Parishioners and Friends of …

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First Schools, Now Churches to be Reviewed

The Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia says all parishes will be reviewed for potential restructuring.

Archdiocese of Philadelphia officials said Friday that all parishes will be examined for potential restructing in the next two to four years. A letter was already sent to area parishes that was obtained by Mt. Airy Patch recommends that St. Therese of the Child Jesus (6611 Ardleigh St.), which is in East Mt. Airy, close by July 1. It also said it wants St. Madeline Sophie in West Mt. Airy (at 6440 Greene St.) to either close or become a worship site. However, Archdiocese spokesman Kenneth Gavin said in an email that "all parishes will be examined over the next two to four years." Parishes in Tredyffrin and Easttown include St Monica in Berwyn, St. Norbert in Paoli, Our Lady of the Assumption in Strafford, and St. Isaac Jogues in Wayne.  …

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