Category Archives: News

If Ron and Genny Little had their own version of the song “I’ve Been Everywhere,” the locational lyrics in the quicktime verses might look something like this: I’ve been to Bloomsburg, Doylesburg, Elysburg, Millersburg Quarryville, Marysville, Bonneauville, Danville Middletown, Jonestown, Myerstown, Lewistown Lebanon, Steelton, Benton, Lancaster, Manchester, Ephrata, Columbia and…

Marking the 150th anniversary of Pope Pius IX proclaiming St. Joseph as the patron and protector of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis honored that December 8, 1870, announcement to the world with his apostolic letter, Patris corde, dedicating this current liturgical year to the venerated foster father of Jesus. There…

St. Vincent College president Father Paul R. Taylor, O.S.B., has announced that Miranda Keller, a senior at Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg, has been awarded a four-year, full-tuition scholarship as a winner of the College’s 40th annual Wimmer Scholarship Competition. Keller was awarded the scholarship, valued at more than…

Sister M. Rita O’Leary, formerly Sister Rita Regina, died peacefully in Camilla Hall on Thursday, Feb. 25 in the 65th year of her religious life. She was 85. Sister Rita was born on Aug. 31, 1935, in Harrisburg. Her parents, James and Emma Elizabeth (Hatton) O’Leary, raised their family in…

Sister Rita O’Leary, IHM, died peacefully at Camilla Hall in Immaculata, Pa., on Feb. 25. She was 85 years old. Formerly known as Sister Rita Regina, she was born on Aug. 31, 1935.

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.