From the Scranton Times  Tribune: A transitional housing facility for homeless veterans under construction in downtown Scranton will open in the spring, the executive director of Catholic Social Services said Monday. St. Francis Commons is expected to be ready for occupancy on May 5,

• There are approximately 3.3 million Catholics in Pennsylvania • Catholic health care facilities serve more than 3 million people of all faiths annually • Catholic charities agencies serve more than 360,000 people of all faiths annually • Pennsylvania has approximately 540 Catholic s

From the USCCB—Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, applauded the January 9 introduction of the bipartisan State Marriage Defense Act of 2014 (H.R. 3829) in the U.

December 31, 2013 WASHINGTON—Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), has asked President Obama to temporarily exempt religious institutions from crippling fines if their insurance plans exclude sterilization, abortion-ind

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports, “The right of church-related organizations to keep a clear conscience trumps the federal government’s desire to improve access to contraceptives, a federal judge ruled Thursday in a preliminary decision that could set the tone in a legal figh

Super Typhoon Haiyan (local name Yolanda) arrived in the Philippines at 4:40 AM on Nov. 8 hitting Guiuan, Eastern Samar Island, with wind speeds of 195 mph, making it the strongest tropical cyclone on record to have made landfall anywhere in the world. Thousands are thought to be dead

In a November 7 letter addressed to Speaker of the House John Boehner, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, called upon members of the House of Representatives to address immigration reform legislation “as soon as possible, ideally

WASHINGTON—Leaders of five national Catholic organizations, including two committee chairmen of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), urged the Farm Bill Conference Committee to negotiate a Farm Bill that “reflects a commitment to the common good.” “Agriculture policies mus

Safe Haven of Pennsylvania, also known as the Newborn Protection Act, was enacted in 2003 and it states that any parent may leave a newborn baby in the care of a hospital without being criminally liable as long as the baby is no older than 28 days and is not harmed. Girls who are preg

Many more Pennsylvania children will have access to health care thanks to a reauthorization and expansion of the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Governor Tom Corbett signed the bill, the first piece of legislation associated with his Healthy Pennsylvania plan, on T