On March 3, the universal Church celebrates the feast of St. Katharine Drexel, a Philadelphia heiress who abandoned her family’s fortune to found an order of sisters dedicated to serving the impoverished African American and American Indian populations of the United States. Katharine was born November 26, 1858 into a …

John Neumann was born on March 28, 1811, in Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. His parents were Philip and Agnes Neumann. He had four sisters and a brother. After college, John entered the seminary. When the time came for his ordination, the bishop was sick and the date …

by Kevin J. Jones Denver Newsroom, Sep 27, 2022 / 18:00 pm A social media stir has greeted the image of a “woman priest,” among several other artistic images, posted to the Synod of Bishops’ Facebook page. Though it is unclear whether the Facebook page noticed the figure, the artwork …

by CNA Staff Philadelphia, Pa., Jul 1, 2021 / 15:01 pm Venerable Augustus Tolton, the first widely recognized African-American priest, is a model for how to overcome racism and persecution, the Archbishop of Philadelphia said last week. “The way Tolton internalized and processed hurt, rejection and injustice” shows “a way …

by Joe Bukuras Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 17, 2021 / 10:44 am The US bishops voted Thursday that they consider it opportune to advance two causes of canonization, for Father Joseph Verbis Lafleur, a World War II military chaplain, and for Marinus (Leonard) LaRue, a merchant mariner who became a …

CNA Staff, Aug 12, 2020 / 03:26 am MT (CNA).- Efforts to protect people from harm and error now marginalize and even demonize others for unpopular opinions, warns a new statement urging a revival of civil engagement and conscientious respect for the convictions of others. “We want—and to be true …

CNA Staff, Jul 18, 2020 / 03:38 pm MT (CNA).- Archbishop Nelson Perez of Philadelphia will receive a liturgical vestment known as the pallium in a local Mass this weekend, breaking from the tradition of receiving it in a papal ceremony at the Vatican due to Covid-related travel restrictions. The …

Sarah Joyce was just 18 when she left her “father’s house” for the “new land” of Notre Dame at Ilchester, MD. As we’ve just seen, she “never planned beyond ‘entering.’” She counted on the God of Abraham (and, let’s not forget, the God of Sarah, as well) to show her …

By Lou Baldwin PHILADELPHIA (CNS) — What does Thanksgiving really mean to you? Is it just a really big dinner, or is there something more about it that maybe you’ve forgotten? It is unique among American holidays in that it is both civic and religious in its origins. It is …

By Lindsay Hueston Catholic News Service PHILADELPHIA — A woman religious who teaches a course at the Philadelphia prison Pope Francis visited Sept. 27 believes the pope’s outreach to prisoners will have an impact on the criminal justice system in America. “He’ll be aware of the injustices that may occur …