The Office of Catholic Education of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (OCE) and Faith in the Future are pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Joseph McFadden as Principal of Archbishop Ryan High School effective July 13, 2015. Mr. McFadden is a 1997 graduate of Archbishop Ryan High school and the first graduate to serve as principal in the history of the school.

Dominic Legge, O.P., is a Dominican priest and a professor of theology at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. He’s also the author of the article below — “Why Gay Marriage is Not Like Divorce” — which first appeared July 6 on the website of First Things magazine.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America approved funding for 228 projects, totaling more than $3.3 million. The funds will be disbursed as grants to aid the pastoral work of the Church in the Caribbean and Latin America.

Catholics celebrate the feast of St. Thomas More, the great English statesman and martyr, on June 22. But the actual date of his execution was 480 years ago today, July 6, in 1535. Henry VIII had him beheaded two weeks after the judicial murder of his friend and bishop of Rochester, St. John Fisher.

The World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015 today launched its official retail website, shop.worldmeeting2015.org, featuring more than 200 products commemorating the Eighth World Meeting of Families and the visit of Pope Francis, which are available for purchase now.

A groundbreaking ceremony for capital improvement plans was held at Operating Base Cecilia, the headquarters for Archdiocese of Philadelphia Catholic Social Services (CSS) Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program. These plans include a wheelchair lift to the first floor, sloped walkway to the ground floor, shower and laundry facilities, renovated kitchen and dining room, garden project, and an onsite furniture barn.

We’ve been eagerly anticipating today’s news from the Vatican today since it was announced last November that Pope Francis would be with us for the World Meeting of Families.

Pope Francis’ apostolic journey to the United States is “a source of joy and gratitude,” said the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in response to the release of the full visit schedule by the Vatican, June 30

Today, the Vatican released the comprehensive itinerary for Pope Francis’ journey to the United States, including his schedule for Philadelphia on September 26-27, which will close the 6-day Apostolic Journey.

The Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GPHCC), in collaboration with Philadelphia Latino business, civic and religious leaders, today announced the official launch of its new initiative entitled the Latino Papal Fund, a mobile giving platform and donation website to raise contributions for the World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015.