Archdiocese

Here are the list of Archdiocese of Philadelphia's school closings/mergers, announced Jan. 6: BUCKS COUNTY St. Michael the Archangel , Levittown, merges with Our Lady of Grace , Penndel at the Penndel site. St. Mark , Bristol, merges with St. Ephrem , Bensalem, at the Bensalem site. Assumption BVM , Feasterville, merges with St. Bede the Venerable , Holland, at the Holland site. Holy Trinity , Morrisville, merges with St. John the Evangelist , Lower Makefield, at the Lower Makefield site.

JILL PORTER'S March 5 column presents a compelling story, but only half the truth about the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Office of Catholic Education and tuition. As educators, the last thing we want to see is a young person's academic and personal development interrupted. We work hard to help families who notify us of their financial hardships. Tuition assistance provided to students in archdiocesan high schools alone totaled over $11 million in 2006-07. If a student withdraws from our system without fulfilling his or her tuition payments, we work with the appropriate guidance department in a public school to give them the courses and grades.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia on Friday suspended its top lawyer, less than two weeks before a trial that could shine a spotlight on the role he and other church lawyers played in the handling of decades of child-sex-abuse allegations. In an e-mail to employees and pastors, archdiocesan officials said general counsel Timothy R. Coyne was placed on administrative leave but did not say why. Coyne could not be reached late Friday. Representatives for Archbishop Charles J. Chaput declined to comment.

The seemingly endless summer for 23,000 Catholic high school students will end tomorrow, assuming their teachers ratify a tentative three-year contract reached last night with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The vote by 950 members of the Association of Catholic Teachers Local 1776 will be at 1 p.m. today at the Sheet Metal Workers Hall, Delaware Avenue near Washington. The agreement leaves one down and one to go: Class schedules at eight South Jersey Catholic high schools were fractured again yesterday as a teachers' strike against the Diocese of Camden lurched into a second day. No talks were held, and none are scheduled.

Catholic high school students will face a $175 tuition increase next year, the smallest in six years, bringing the total school bill to $2,600, according to an archdiocesan spokeswoman. Non-Catholic students attending archdiocesan high schools will pay $200 more, or $3,200 per year, according to spokeswoman Marie Kelly. In a Jan. 18 letter to parents, Msgr. Philip J. Cribben, secretary for Catholic education in the archdiocese, said the 7.2 percent increase was the result of improved enrollment projections and new funding sources.

Archbishop Anthony J. Bevilacqua has begun reorganizing the administration of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia with Msgr. Edward P. Cullen becoming responsible yesterday for overseeing its day-to-day operation. Msgr. Cullen, 55, who has been director of Catholic Social Services since 1983, also will study the archdiocese's central offices to see how they can be reorganized, according to the Catholic Standard and Times, the official archdiocesan newspaper. Msgr. Cullen will serve as "vicar general in curia," the title given in the Catholic church to the official who helps a bishop govern a diocese.

'The voice of the people" is being heard, after a fashion, in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Through a special assembly called a synod, a select group of the faithful is helping Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua evaluate "the current state of the church's life in order to create a vision and plan for the future. " It's the first synod here in 68 years, and the 250 official delegates - more than half of them lay Catholics - are toiling away in preparation for action this autumn.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia is honoring its 200th anniversary by offering its members a plenary indulgence, a practice begun in the Middle Ages that remains controversial and often confounding today. An indulgence, according to the church, allows Catholics who perform certain acts to shorten the time after death that their souls will have to spend in purgatory to atone for their sins. "It adds to the joy of the occasion, it allows each person a participation in the event, and it provides a lasting souvenir," Cardinal Justin Rigali told the archdiocese's 1.5 million members in a recent letter.

As part of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's renewal campaign, a workshop titled "Embrace the Family of God," will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Cardinal O'Hara High School, 1701 W. Sproul Rd., Springfield. Keynote speakers will be the Rev. Jack Rathschmidt of the College of New Rochelle and Gaynell Cronin, a speaker and author on family spirituality. Topics covered at the workshop include adolescent spirituality, youth formation in the African American community, building family strengths, and parish programs for the elderly.

A tentative agreement has been reached that could to end the two-week strike by lay teachers at high schools operated by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Shortly after 6 p.m. Sunday the archdiocese and the Association of Catholic Teachers, Local 1776, released a joint statement announcing the settlement. Neither side would reveal the details of the proposed agreement until it is presented to the 711 union members for a vote Monday at 10 a.m. If approved by the union, 16,000 students who attend the 17 high schools in the five-county region could return to school on Tuesday.