Many people pray hopefully before the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the upper church. There is a photo of the statue’s amazing survival of the fire of 1899 aside the statue. We often tell visitors bits and pieces […]
Light the City Mark your calendar. On Saturday, August 10, our young adults will be on the street in the evening, inviting passersby to come into the church to light a candle and to pray. We need street evangelizers, but […]
The Center City District has published its annual “State of Center City” report. The entire report is located at centercityphila.org. The Center City District is funded by a tax on all Center City residents and businesses and is re- sponsible […]
This week we celebrate Independence Day. On June 19th, we celebrated Juneteenth Day. I had not heard of Juneteenth a few years ago; it’s only when it became a national holiday that this commemoration came to my notice. The juxtaposition […]
Several times in this bulletin I have informed you of a critical capital project that must be done for the survival of Saint John Church. Overall, we have maintained our churches (upper and lower) well. We have responded quickly to […]
Throughout the world Catholics are invited to support Pope Francis by making a donation to the Peter’s Pence Collection this weekend, June 15 and 16. The money collected supports the Pope’s ministry of serving the church and assisting the poor. […]
Recently (published May 20, 2024) the “Catholic Preaching Institute” at Saint Charles Seminary conducted a survey of the attitudes of Philadelphia Catholics on the preaching that they hear in their parishes. Here are some results: 5970 people participated from 204 […]
Recently I spoke to a mother who was asking to baptize her baby. Of course, I scheduled the baptism, but I also encouraged the young mother to attend Mass with her husband. Though I have not been a parent, I […]
All of us Capuchin friars will be in Cleveland from May 28-31 for an Assembly, a several day gathering and meeting. We will discuss relevant topics, but the most important thing is that all friars of our Province will be […]
I’ve got good news and bad news (but mostly bad news) about the future of religion in the United States based on a recent Gallup poll on religious practice. First the good news: 30% of all US adults and 33 […]