The Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s 122 elementary schools, 17 high schools and four schools of special education recently celebrated National Catholic Schools Week which took place January 25, 2015 – January 31, 2015. Twenty-five parish and regional schools in the City of Philadelphia had extra reason to celebrate for the 2014-2015 school year.

Archdiocesan high schools and Catholic elementary schools in the City of Philadelphia will open on a two hour delay today, Monday, March 2, 2015.

A year ago I had the privilege of speaking to men of all ages at the “Man-Up Philly” 2014 conference. In the course of a great day of fellowship, I offered the following words:

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. will celebrate Mass at the 7th Annual Man Up Philly, the largest Men’s Spirituality Conference in the Philadelphia area. At this event, Catholic men from across the five-county Archdiocese are encouraged to come together for a day of prayer and fellowship. This year’s theme is Faith, Fatherhood and Family.

The vote by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) preserving an open Internet and preventing service providers from discriminating against content makers is a welcome move, crucial for allowing religions, including the Catholic Church, to communicate online, said Bishop John C. Wester of Salt Lake City, February 26.

In the wake of the brutal murders of twenty one Coptic Christians at the hands of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Libya, increased support to protect religious minorities and civilians should be combined with adequate humanitarian assistance and other assets, said the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and the chairman of the USCCB Committee on International Justice and Peace.

Philadelphians might say “finally noticed” — that the City of Brotherly Love is enjoying a major resurgence as an international urban center. Philadelphia is a city on the move; a city that “has greatly evolved economically and culturally since 2000,” revitalized by “celebrity chefs, a vibrant technology sector and [a] thriving art scene” – not to mention some of the finest universities, museums, medical centers and historical locations in the United States.

The World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015, the independent 501(c)(3) established to plan and stage a major international Congress addressing issues facing the family worldwide that will include a Papal visit in September 2015, confirmed today that a total of $30 million in cash and in-kind donations has been pledged to date in support of this historic gathering.

Congress should reaffirm the principle that government “should not force anyone to stop offering or covering much-needed legitimate health care” because of a conscientious objection to abortion or other procedures, said Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley of Boston and Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore.

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. will be the principal celebrant and homilist for Ash Wednesday Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.