Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. will celebrate Mass for the inmates and staff at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility (CFCF) in Philadelphia. Media are invited to cover the Mass.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia and Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary are pleased to host the second annual John Cardinal Foley Lecture Series, honoring Cardinal Foley’s work in the media by featuring speakers of national or international renown who are engaged in evangelization through social communications.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015 today celebrated the Feast of St. John Neumann at the National Shrine in North Philadelphia with Mayor Michael A. Nutter and Bishop John J. McIntyre, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. With a celebratory Mass and the official blessing of the Shrine’ new atrium and time capsule, today’s event marked the completion of this landmark project for the historic shrine while also marking the beginning of the year in which the Archdiocese and the City of Philadelphia will welcome Pope Francis for the World Meeting of Families in September 2015.

National Catholic Schools Week 2015 will be observed in dioceses around the country January 25–31. This year’s theme, “Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service,” focuses on the important academic, faith-building and societal contributions provided by a Catholic education.

Since his election, Pope Francis has spoken in a uniquely powerful way about the need for human solidarity, care for the poor and economic justice. He’s also dealt again and again with the need to protect and support the family. These are not two separate themes. They’re linked organically. And while this Pope’s words have a compelling new energy and joy, they’re grounded firmly in a rich history of Catholic teaching.

Exactly 100 years ago this week, in the first months of the Great War that would begin the bloodiest century in human history, something miraculous happened. All along the Western Front, spontaneous pockets of truce broke out between German and Allied soldiers. The guns would fall silent through Christmas, and in some places, for days afterward. Enemies put down their weapons and openly fraternized, sharing food, drink and stories. Officers finally had to force their men to return to the fighting.

The World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015 and Philadelphia Zoo today turned a routine school day into the surprise of a lifetime when the organizations awarded Gabriella Lupold, a fourth grade student at Saint Thomas the Apostle in Glenn Mills, PA, with a complimentary 2015 Philadelphia Zoo Membership for the Lupold Family and a special “Zoo on Wheels” presentation for her and her classmates.

In early November, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia published audited financial statements for The Office for Financial Services, its Pastoral Center entity, for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2014.

Advent, more than any other season of the year, is rooted in the virtue of hope.
For Catholics, the real new year begins not on January 1 but on the First Sunday of Advent, the day when the Church begins her annual new cycle of Scripture readings and worship.