Category Archives: News

Gun violence, racism, pacifism and the Christian response to violence were the topics of discussion at this year’s LARC Day of Dialogue. The annual gathering is a joint effort of the Lutheran, Anglican and Roman Catholic churches in central Pennsylvania for prayer and greater cooperation between the Churches. Taking place…

Learning about the faith and history of the Church was a fun activity for youth attending the Diocese’s pilgrimage. Close to 85 children participated in a scavenger hunt, hosted by the Diocesan Council of Catholic Girl Scouts and Campfire Girls. All youth were invited to participate and explore the Basilica,…

In August, Knights of Columbus Council # 17028 was formed and chartered at St. Philip the Apostle Church in Millersville. Heading the Council is Grand Knight Robert W. Ziemba. The Council included 45 new and transferred members on the charter date of Aug. 1. Father Lawrence W. Sherdel, pastor at…

A gathering of more than 3,000 faithful from the Diocese of Harrisburg traveled to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Nov. 3. The pilgrimage was a time of prayerful reflection over recent events in the Church and the Diocese, as well…

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Mechanicsburg March for Life Solidarity Day, Friday, January 18, to unite with those who are attending the march in Washington. The day begins at…

Rosemary Connelly had never traveled outside of the United States, or been on an airplane. She is afraid of heights. And she is discerning her path in life since her husband’s death in 2016.Yet, there she was on a flight with nearly 70 other pilgrims traveling from the Diocese of…

Dear Friends in Ministry, As the end of the academic year approaches, many parishes and Catholic high schools look for ways to recognize and thank exceptional young men and women.…

“Father, you need us, as much as we need you” is the phrase that Clare McCarrick, one of my parishioners at Our Lady Lourdes Church in New Holland, tells me every time we gather to worship or to celebrate other church activities.

Twelve new parishes were formed from the mergers in 1995. In the list below, the year of founding and the ethnic roots of the merged parishes are noted. Asterisks indicate the worship sites of the new parishes established as a result of the mergers.

Although the Diocese of Harrisburg encompasses the Pennsylvania Dutch Country and is usually associated with it, the rich mosaic of peoples who make up the diocese did not really develop until after the Civil War. From the Colonial period until the time of the Civil War the Catholic population drew…

Bull of Pope Pius IX Establishing Diocese of Harrisburg, Harrisburg, March 3, 1868 The office of Supreme Apostolic Authority which the Lord placed upon Our unworthy shoulders requires that We be ready to undertake prudently whatever may benefit the Catholic Church and the eternal salvation of souls.

March for Life organizers announced in a Dec. 6 briefing a tentative group of speakers, a theme and other details for a Jan. 18 conference and expo and Jan. 19 march and rally in Washington.

Celebrating a solemn Mass of Ordination to the Diaconate at St. Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg on Nov. 5, Bishop Ronald Gainer told the two seminarians receiving the sacrament that as they take on the threefold service of ministry of the Word, of the Altar and of Charity, their personal holiness…

Standing at the entrance to Camp Kirchenwald, a 340-acre site of wooded trails, lake activities, a swimming pool, athletic fields and cabins in Colebrook, Alicia Kocher was eager to reunite with her camp family – participants and volunteers with whom she has formed bonds over the past 20 years.

Responding with a resounding “Yes!” to the Lord’s call, three men were ordained to the priesthood on June 3 at St. Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg.

Reading aloud this excerpt from the recently-released English translation of “In God’s Hands: The Spiritual Diaries of Pope John Paul II, Bishop Ronald Gainer told the congregation gathered on May 20 for the Ordination to the Diaconate that the saint’s words remind the faithful that each of our lives must…

Cardinal William H. Keeler, the Seventh Bishop of the Diocese of Harrisburg and the 14th Archbishop of Baltimore, died March 23 at his residence at St. Martin’s Home for the Aged in Catonsville, Md. He was 86.

Cardinal William H. Keeler was a champion of interfaith and ecumenical understanding, regarded as one of the world’s leading figures in the field.

Mourners from near and far, and all walks of life and various creeds, filled the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Homeland, Md., March 28 for the funeral Mass of Cardinal William H. Keeler, 14th archbishop of Baltimore.

The parish in which Cardinal William Keeler was raised, educated and celebrated countless liturgies offered a memorial Mass for its native son on the evening of March 28, just a few hours after his Mass of Christian Burial in Baltimore.