Category Archives: News

Ten months ago, St. Joseph Parish in Mechanicsburg was humming along like most – with a regular schedule of Masses, on-site meetings and events for its various ministries, and some social media presence on Facebook and Instagram pages, among a host of spiritual activities and evangelization efforts.

Knights of Columbus Council 6353 of St. Joseph Parish in York, worked to make a difference in the community, donating $11,000 to Misericordia Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The donation was…

The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference is condemning a campaign by Planned Parenthood to encourage and facilitate abortion procedures in the home. The pro-abortion group is looking to use telehealth visits to prescribe pills for pregnant women so they can get abortion pills through the mail. PCC Executive Director Eric Failing said…

“We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” Taken from Matthew 2:1-12, these are the words of the magi as they arrived in Jerusalem, looking for the infant Jesus to offer their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. As the Church marks the end…

The front-line staff at Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center in Camp Hill received a well-deserved morale boost in time for Christmas, thanks to the generous efforts of students and staff at Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg. Christian Charity Sisters Mary Joseph Albright, Vice President of Mission Integration…

Pope Francis warned against the temptation to ignore the suffering of others during the coronavirus pandemic and said that things will get better in the new year to the extent to which the needs of the weakest and most disadvantaged are prioritized. “We don’t know what 2021 has in store…

Catholic bishops condemned pro-Donald Trump protesters’ incursion that penetrated the Capitol Building Wednesday as Congress debated the certification of the presidential election results, leading to the evacuation of lawmakers and – as of press time Thursday morning – the deadly shooting of one protester by law enforcement. “I join people…

The Diocese of Harrisburg’s commitment to the highest standards of good stewardship, accountability and transparency in the financial gifts it receives from the faithful were reaffirmed with the recent release of the Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) Annual Diocesan Online Financial Transparency Study. This study, conducted each year by the…

The Diocese of Harrisburg is pleased to announce that Mr. Scott Udit has joined our team as the new director of Buildings and Properties. A member of Saint Theresa of the Infant Jesus Parish in New Cumberland and a third degree Knight of Columbus in Council 8921, Udit is looking…

Father Thomas C. Marickovic, 67, of the Priests Retirement Residence in Harrisburg, died December 30, 2020 in UPMC Pinnacle Community Osteopathic Hospital. He was a retired priest for the Diocese of Harrisburg; a graduate of Steelton-Highspire High School’s Class of 1971, Loyola University, Chicago 1975, and the Pontifical College Josephinum,…

On a cold winter’s night a week before Christmas, thousands of faithful came to Good Shepherd Parish in Camp Hill to ponder and gaze upon a Living Nativity display. With roles played in large part by youth of the parish, and featuring live animals used in productions at the Sight…

With Christmas just five days away, staff at A Woman’s Concern Pregnancy and Parenting Resource Center in Lancaster put their Santa hats on Dec. 21 to give gifts to families in need. The center turned their Hope House, where families normally pick up strollers and Chicco car seats, into a…

Reaching a height of nearly 100 feet, the Christmas tree in St. Peter’s Square this year is adorned with handcrafted wooden ornaments made by the homeless, as well as children and other adults. Before the Christmas tree lighting ceremony Dec. 11, Pope Francis said that he wanted the Christmas tree…

The “Great Conjunction” of Jupiter and Saturn on Dec. 21 – dubbed the “Christmas Star” – was a pretty sight, but it is impossible to know for sure if it had any connection to the Star of Bethlehem, a Vatican astronomer said. On Dec. 21, the planets Jupiter and Saturn…

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Many Christmas Carols have fascinating backstories. The beloved Carol, Joy to the World, has one such interesting history. Isaac Watts, born in England in 1674, was reflecting one day on Psalm 98 and he was greatly moved by the fourth verse, “Make a joyful…

Father (Colonel) Robert F. Berger, KHS, died at his family home on December 14, 2020. He was a priest of the Diocese of Harrisburg for 58 years. He was born August 30, 1935, in Locust Gap, the son of the late George Francis and Josephine (Heiser) Berger.

Pope Francis appointed a new bishop of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Dec. 18. The pope named Msgr. Larry J. Kulick as the sixth bishop of the diocese founded in 1951. Bishop-elect Kulick,…

Our Mother of Perpetual Help School in Ephrata made quite the debut in its foray into the Extraordinary Give last month. The PreK-8 school rang up an astounding $145,127 in Lancaster County’s annual day of giving on Nov. 20. The one-day marathon inspires donors to make online contributions to boost…

Three days before a snow storm encased central Pennsylvania in nearly two feet of snow, teenagers with the Diocesan Youth Council spread some warm holiday cheer to several dozen guests of the Cathedral Parish’s Sunday evening meal in Harrisburg. Stationed behind tables stacked with Christmas gifts, cookies and hot chocolate,…