Category Archives: Diocesan News

Amidst all the death Americans had to endure this winter, the passing of baseball great Henry “Hank” Aaron seemed to garner but a mere footnote in the back of the book. Hardly fitting for arguably the best ball player to ever play. “Hold on,” you say, “what about Babe Ruth?”…

Eric Howe of Lancaster Catholic and Riley Robell of Bishop McDevitt earned individual District 3 titles in this year’s Class 2A wrestling tournament on Feb. 21 at Central Dauphin East High School. The two Crusaders topped the podium in the 120-pound and heavyweight brackets, respectively.

The first Sunday of Lent marks a unique period in the spiritual lives of catechumens – men and women who will receive the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil. Annually on this day, the Church celebrates the Rite of Election, the solemn occasion on which those seeking to join…

To honor healthcare workers on “Celebrating Your Community” day as part of Catholic Schools Week, students at St. Margaret Mary School in Harrisburg assembled 200 snack bags for employees at Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center in Camp Hill. The service project was in response to a request from…

St. Joseph School in York has successfully landed on Mars. NASA’s rover, Perseverance, descended on the red planet on Feb. 18, bearing three microchips etched with more than 10 million names, including that of the PreK-6 parochial school in east York. The venture was part of NASA’s “Send Your Name…

Five committee chairmen of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) wrote a letter to members of Congress opposing the recent reintroduction of the Equality Act (H.R. 5), which is scheduled to be voted on by the U.S. House of Representatives this week. The bishops warned of the threats posed…

“Do we need Lent this year?” That’s the question Bishop Ronald Gainer posed as he celebrated noon Mass on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17, at St. Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg. “It may well be that you and I are less eager this year for Ash Wednesday and to begin the season…

Trinity High School in Camp Hill announced on Thursday, Feb. 18 that Jordan Hill has verbally accepted the position of Head Football Coach for the Trinity Shamrocks. Hill is a 2009 graduate from Steelton-Highspire High School, where he was a member of their 2007 and 2008 PIAA Championship teams. He…

Nine men and women who completed the Diocese’s formation program for spiritual directors are now certified to serve in the ministry of guiding Catholics in their spirituality. Bishop Ronald Gainer…

The relatively small crowd inside Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg, Pa., erupted with applause on Feb. 11, after newly ordained Bishop Larry J. Kulick was ordained and installed. Despite COVID-19, the faithful of the Diocese of Greensburg celebrated the much-anticipated event. Thousands watched the live stream and left hundreds of…

Mass-goers on Ash Wednesday might have detected a change in the wording during The Collect, the short prayer the priest says prior to the First Reading. If your discerning ear heard the priest say “God, for ever and ever,” instead of “One God, for ever and ever,” it’s not because…

A Feb. 4 investigative story from the Associated Press inaccurately portrays “the Roman Catholic Church” as a “giant corporate monolith” that raked in federal aid while sitting on billions of dollars that they could have used to pay employees, a canon and civil law expert told CNA. In reality, “the…

Images of seven Black Catholics placed at the altar during the Diocese’s Black Catholic Apostolate Mass shared a dual message for those in the congregation: remember and celebrate the good and holy works they did in their lives, and stand on their shoulders to continue sharing their light.

Angela Orisini, a volunteer in the Archives at the Diocese of Harrisburg since 2012 and a longtime friend of The Catholic Witness staff and author of the “Saint Spotlight” column, died on Feb. 1 at Carolyn’s House of Hospice of Central Pennsylvania.

What can I say? Susan Tassone has done it again! When it comes to prayer books with purpose, I have found Susan’s various titles to be a great go-to source.…

St. Bernadette Soubirous Patroness of body illness, poverty, people ridiculed for their faith, and Lourdes, France Feast Day – April 16 In Lourdes, France, a small town at the foot of the Pyrenees Mountains, Marie-Bernarde Soubirous was born on January 7, 1844. Her father was a miller and her mother…

Marie François Thérèse Martin was born January 2, 1873, in Alençon, France. She did not fully comprehend what the Carmel was, but at 15 desired to enter. On September 24, 1890, she received her Carmelite veil in Lisieux as Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. Although…

Faith, excellence and service are the hallmarks of Catholic schools, and they were a particular emphasis of celebration this week at St. Columba School in Bloomsburg. Catholic Schools Week activities for St. Columba’s students focused on this trifecta of values, particularly on Feb. 4, with a day of activities that…

As the March for Life commenced in our nation’s capital on Jan. 29, more than 130 miles away in Palmyra, the Respect for Life Ministry at Holy Spirit Parish led a pro-life witness through the neighborhoods and streets of town. Nearly 40 people endured the cold and windy weather to…

St. Teresa of Calcutta School in Adams County offered a glimpse of the future on Feb. 3, as students dressed as their future career during a Catholic Schools Week celebration of vocations. The PreK-3 through third grade classrooms at the Conewago campus were enlivened with future pizzeria owners, construction workers,…