Category Archives: Diocesan News

Welcome to our new website. More than two years in the making, we pray you will find our new website delivers a user-friendly and dynamic browsing experience. Not sure where…

Reveling in finally reaching the ordination day of four men to the diaconate on Aug. 22, Bishop Ronald Gainer said such days of celebration and joy are much needed in a time of face masks and social distancing. “We have all been counting the days, and counting the days, and…

When Gail Ferree first laid eyes on the man who would become her husband, she was smitten. “I got butterflies in my stomach when he came home from the military and I saw him. We weren’t dating yet, but my sister’s husband said to me, ‘I can tell by the…

Bishop Ronald Gainer announces the following change to clergy assignments: Father John M. Kuchinski to Chaplain of York Catholic High School. Father Kuchinski remains pastor of Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish, York. This change takes effect August 29, 2020.

In parishes throughout the Diocese, summertime means Vacation Bible School. Religious educators, parish staff and volunteers spend months planning out the annual week of activities, which attract children for arts and crafts, songs and snacks as they learn about their faith. Confirmation students put on plays to act out Scripture…

The location was different but the fellowship and fun were the same during this year’s Diocesan camp for people with disabilities. Traditionally held on the grounds of Camp Kirchenwald in Lebanon County, plans were changed this year due to the ongoing Covid-19 virus. “The decision to host a virtual camp…

For hundreds of years, Catholic parishes in coastal cities have participated in the tradition of blessing the sea and praying for the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the Feast of the Assumption. While believers in landlocked areas may be unfamiliar with the practice, it is a longstanding tradition…

Catholic schools in the Diocese of Harrisburg continue to prepare for the start of the school year and this week administration and custodial staff from all 36 schools in the Diocese participated in the Custodial Considerations During Covid-19 training. This training, presented by High Environmental Health and Safety Consulting Ltd.,…

As teams return to their fields, courts and tracks for summer workouts and the official start of practice in a few weeks, the safety of student-athletes is the ultimate goal. Diocesan high school administrators, athletic directors and coaches welcomed hundreds of student-athletes back to campus in June and July, and…

“In this Church, we do not have to fight for our rights because we are black. She had colored saints: Augustine, Benedict the Moor, Monica. The Church is broad and liberal. She is the Church for our people.” Father Augustine Tolton, the first African-American priest, delivered these words at the…

The annual Pilgrimage for World Peace through Mary, which draws attendees to from the Diocese to the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in Emmitsburg, Md., on the first Thursday of August, will take place Aug. 6 this year. Due to COVID-19 protocols and guidelines, the pilgrimage will…

Your voice is needed to help determine where The Catholic Witness goes in the future. To assist us in planning the newspaper’s path as we move forward, we’ve developed a survey that will be featured in a special mailed edition of The Witness on August 7. The printed edition will…

Father Michael McGivney, the founder of the Knights of Columbus Catholic fraternal organization, will be beatified on October 31, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints announced this week. The congregation made the announcement on its website and Twitter page July 20. A miracle credited to the intercession of the…