The Archdiocese of Philadelphia today announced a three-fold increase in its priestly vocations this year with 20 new seminarians enrolling in Saint Charles Seminary as compared to 2014. The increase is the largest in over ten years and capitalizes on the transformation now taking place at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary.

As the City of Philadelphia prepares to host the 2015 World Meeting of Families and the Papal Visit, the World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015 (WMOF) and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) have announced that buses registered with GO GROUND, the official transportation management partner of the World Meeting of Families, will be permitted to access restricted roadways and off ramps, including I- 76 during the Papal Visit weekend.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia will release the latest new priestly vocation numbers and announce a new vocation grassroots and parish-based recruitment program building on the momentum of Pope Francis’ visit to Philadelphia and Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary this September. The new vocation increases and the new grassroots vocation recruitment program build on the transformation now taking place at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary.

The College and Theology Division seminarians of Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary will return to campus to mark the start of the academic year on Tuesday, August 18th beginning with registration and moving-in to the dorms.

The Office of Catholic Education and Faith in the Future are proud to announce that Sister Maureen Lawrence McDermott, IHM, who has served as Principal of Bishop Shanahan High School in Downingtown for the last 14 years, has been named Superintendent of Secondary Schools for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia effective October 1, 2015.

Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary today announced a revitalization of its music program with the appointment of Rudolph A. Lucente as Director of Sacred Music and Michael Stairs to the new position of Artist in Residence. Both men are recognized organists in the Philadelphia region and perform together as part of the Philadelphia Organ Quartet.

The World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015 today announced Aramark (NYSE: ARMK), the global provider of award-winning services in food, facilities management and uniforms, headquartered in Philadelphia, as the official food and beverage provider for the visit of Pope Francis in Philadelphia.

Here’s a simple exercise in basic reasoning. On a spectrum of bad things to do, theft is bad, assault is worse and murder is worst. There’s a similar texture of ill will connecting all three crimes, but only a very confused conscience would equate thieving and homicide. Both are serious matters. But there is no equivalence. The deliberate killing of innocent life is a uniquely wicked act. No amount of contextualizing or deflecting our attention to other issues can obscure that.

The World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015 today announced the launch of a new interactive training experience for its 10,000 volunteers utilizing Scavify, a mobile application. In preparing for the World Meeting of Families Congress (September 22 – 25) and Pope Francis’ visit to Philadelphia (September 26-27), this app will prepare volunteers for myriad roles by allowing them to complete a series of challenges that will test their knowledge of key roles and responsibilities for these special events.

The World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015 and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia – Office of Catholic Education (OCE) today turned a late summer ritual for two Archdiocesan high school marching bands, band camp, into the announcement of a once in a lifetime performance opportunity.