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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville would merge 17 parishes into six, with several others sharing facilities, priests and staff under a proposal being considered by the church.The archdiocese's planning commission also recommended a centralized school system, rather than the parish-based method used now. Brian Reynolds, chancellor and chief administrative officer of the archdiocese, said the idea behind the planning process is to start a dialogue about the future of the archdiocese. "We now have to find out whether ... the proposals will be affirmed by the local regions. They may come up with an alternative,"...

A department head at the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston has resigned her post after revealing that she had secretly participated in a ceremony last year in which she says she was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest.Jean Marie Marchant, who for the last four years has been director of healthcare ministry for the archdiocese, offered her resignation to Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley in a letter last week in which she said that a year ago, using a pseudonym, she had been among nine women who had participated in an ordination ceremony on the St. Lawrence Seaway in Canada. That group,...

Benedict XVI has named three new auxiliaries to the massive diocese of Brooklyn. If you were looking for something else today, sorry -- seems that it just ain't your day. Bishops-elect Octavio Cisneros, 60; Guy Sansaricq, 71, and 47 year-old Frank Caggiano will assist Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio in the administration of the 1.8-million member diocese, where every language under the sun is spoken. The Cuban-born Cisneros currently serves as rector of the diocese's Cathedral Seminary Residence and Secretary for Priestly Formation in the Brooklyn Curia. Bishop-elect Sansaricq -- the first American bishop of Haitian birth -- is the national director...

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York announced plans yesterday for the most sweeping reorganization in its history of more than 150 years, recommending the closing of 31 parishes and 14 schools throughout the metropolitan region.At the same time, the archdiocese recommended creating five new parishes in Staten Island, Orange County and Dutchess County and constructing several new church buildings, mostly in northern Westchester County, Rockland County and Dutchess County, where many Catholics who have left the city have relocated.The closings would hit the archdiocese the hardest in its southern parts — the Bronx, Staten Island, Manhattan, Yonkers and central...

BOSTON (AP) - Boston Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley offered an apology to women for including feminism in a list of societal ills, and for his decision not to include women in a foot-washing ceremony. O'Malley, in a letter published in Friday's edition of The Pilot, the archdiocesan newspaper, praised what he termed "Christian feminism," and affirmed his support for the contributions of women in the church. He also pledged to seek guidance on whether he should wash women's feet when he visits the Vatican in August. "I am sorry if this controversy has been upsetting to our Catholic women, and...

When Archbishop José Gomez asked retired Valero Energy Corp. President Edward Benninger who could help the Archdiocese of San Antonio streamline its budget, Benninger gave him three names. "Edward Benninger" was on the list. The archbishop Friday tabbed Benninger to fill the newly created job of vice chancellor for administration. Benninger will be looking for ways to bring modern business practices to the work of the archdiocese starting Monday. "There are always ways to do thing better," Benninger said. "If you look hard at any operation, you see ways you make it more efficient." There's plenty to put a pencil...

Who knows whether Cardinal Edward Egan is sleeping soundly these days. But as head of the New York archdiocese—as the top Roman Catholic prelate in the state—he'd have every reason to be restless after the recent advent of a little-noticed lawsuit. The suit, now pending in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, was filed on December 13 by Bob Hoatson—a 53-year-old New Jersey priest considered a stalwart ally among survivors of sexual abuse by clergy. Hoatson, the now-suspended chaplain for Catholic Charities in Newark, is suing Egan and nine other Catholic officials and institutions, claiming a pattern of "retaliation and harassment"...

FR. GEORGE RASSAS ordained as AUXiLIARY BISHOP of the Archdiocese of Chicago     CHICAGO (February 2, 2006) A Baltimore native who grew up in Winnetka, Most Rev. George J. Rassas, was ordained as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Chicago Thursday, February 2, in a ceremony that took place at Holy Name Cathedral, State and Superior streets. Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., Archbishop of Chicago, served as consecrator and principal celebrant of the Mass. Co-consecrators were the Most Reverend Gerald F. Kicanas, Bishop of Tucson, AZ, and the Most Reverend Jose Antonio Eguren Anselmi, S.C.V., Auxiliary Bishop of Lima,...

VLAZNY Jan-20-2006 (520 words) xxxn Oregon archbishop says no one has authority to seize parishes By Catholic News Service PORTLAND, Ore. (CNS) -- Archbishop John G. Vlazny of Portland reiterated Jan. 20 that "no one in the archdiocese had the authority to seize parish property or assets" to satisfy clergy sexual abuse claims. In his column in the Jan. 20 issue of the Catholic Sentinel, Portland archdiocesan newspaper, the archbishop said the bankruptcy court ruling three weeks earlier, declaring parish and school properties to be part of the archdiocesan assets to be considered in settling sex abuse claims, "felt like...

HARTFORD, Conn. -- The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford has agreed to pay $22 million to 43 people who say they were sexually abused by priests, the archdiocese and a lawyer representing some of the victims said Monday. The settlement was the result of talks mediated by U.S. Magistrate Judge William Garfinkel in Bridgeport, attorney Jason Tremont said. "While I am grateful that the diocese has offered this compensation, I want to make it perfectly clear that no amount of money can replace what was taken from me at the hands of a child molester who wore a Roman collar...

State cites lack of separate fund Secretary of State William F. Galvin has accused the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston of violating state law by failing to maintain a separate fund for upkeep of its cemeteries and diverting money from cemetery care to other church purposes. Galvin's securities division delivered a 33-page complaint yesterday to the Catholic Cemetery Association Inc., an entity the archdiocese uses to operate its cemeteries, accusing it of failing to ensure the perpetual care of its 22 Catholic graveyards. Galvin accuses the church of betraying its parishioners, who are told when they buy a plot that 10...

Friday, May 27, 2005 Possible Replacements for Cardinal McCarrick as Archbishop of Washington, DC Like it or not, the venerable Cardinal McCarrick of Washington will be hitting 75 this July 7th. You know what that means! Our sources tell us his resignation will be accepted "on an expedited timetable." Coupled with his public desire to retire early, Washington should have a new leader within the year. This episcopal see is highly visible due to it being located in our nation's capital and has been rewarded, since its inception, with its archbishops being created cardinals -- O'Boyle, Baum, Hickey, and McCarrick....

 Class action possible in church case A bankruptcy judge considers the move to decide who owns cash and property that could go toward sex-abuse settlements Thursday, May 26, 2005 STEVE WOODWARD All 389,000 Roman Catholic parishioners in Western Oregon soon may find themselves defendants in their archdiocese's legal fight to keep parish property from being used to pay sexual-abuse settlements. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Elizabeth Perris said in a Wednesday hearing that she was leaning toward converting the property litigation into a rare class action at the end of July. "I've never had a class action before in my 21 years...

NEW YORK The Archdiocese of Portland, the first in the nation to file for bankruptcy in the face of mounting sex abuse claims, began running ads in major U.S. newspapers this week alerting priest abuse victims that their time to file a claim against the diocese is running out. The $250,000 ad campaign, required as part of the bankruptcy proceeding, asks any alleged victims who have not yet come forward to file a complaint naming their abuser by April 29. Over the next three weeks, the ads will run three times in 21 newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal and...

The Orange County diocese reached a settlement with 87 victims of clergy abuse, and a source close to the case told The Associated Press it promised to be bigger than the record $85 million agreement with the Boston Archdiocese. Terms of the agreement announced late Thursday were not disclosed, and attorneys said the judge did not specify when they would be released. Judge Owen Lee Kwong has ordered attorneys and plaintiffs not to discuss the deal's specifics. However, a participant in the settlement negotiations told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity that the sum would exceed the record $85...

The Archdiocese of Brownsville, Texas is running a half-page ad titled, "Abortion is the Issue" in the Sunday edition of the McAllen Monitor. I suspect that it is also running in the Brownsville Herald as well, but I do not a have a copy in hand to veryify that. It is a staggeringly effective indictment of the Kerry position on abortion and fetal stem cell research. I have scanned the ad and made a very clear and readable 800x600 jpeg that I would love to post in this thread, but I have nowhere to host it. I cannot use a...

From +Archbishop Donoghue, +Bishop Baker and +Bishop Jugis Worthy to Receive the Lamb:Catholics in Political Life and the Reception of Holy Communion August 4, 2004 + As bishops, we have the obligation to teach and guide the Catholic Faithful whom we shepherd in the Body of Christ. A fundamental teaching of our Church is respect for the sacred gift of life. This teaching flows from the Natural Law and from Divine Revelation. Life is a gift bestowed upon us by God, a truth underscored by the commandment: "You shall not kill" (Deut 5: 17 ). The Old Testament also teaches...

LIFE ISSUESJohn Kerry is being sued for heresy in Archdiocese of Boston. (LifeSiteNews.com) A Catholic canon lawyer has filed suit with the Archdiocese of Boston, charging John Kerry with causing a "most serious scandal to the American public," for continuing to take Communion while being an active proponent of the grave sin of abortion. Marc Balestrieri, a Canon lawyer and Associate Judge for the Los Angeles archdiocese tribunal, launched the suit June 14, 2004. "Heresy is a public, ecclesiastical crime," Balestrieri told the Washington Times. "It affects entire communities. It is one of the greatest sins you can commit." The...

"In a time when right wing conservatives of many churches condemn the lifestyle of homosexuality, some excluding gays and lesbians from worship while perpetuating a message of hate, St. Joan's has been steadfast in welcoming their GLBT parishioners. A monthly potluck support group run by Ron Joki and Theresa Healy allows for an outreach of connectiveness. An annual GLBT spiritual retreat explores biblical readings, meditations, rituals, play and musical skits with guest performers and speakers that confront negativity, challenges exclusivity and affirms acceptance and healing. This very website includes a GLBT section devoted to updates of relative news, GLBT families,...

Archbishop John J. Myers of Newark is the latest Church leader to address the growing controversy about Catholic lawmakers who favor and promote abortion. In a carefully worded pastoral letter dated May 5, 2004, the Archbishop outlined the Church's position: “Catholics who publicly dissent from the Church’s teaching on the right to life of all unborn children should recognize that they have freely chosen by their own actions to separate themselves from what the Church believes and teaches. They have also separated themselves in a significant way from the Catholic community. “The Church cannot force such people to change their...