Friendships Can Draw People Closer to God Take a step back and think about your own journey to Christ. What has the Lord used to draw you closer to Him? For me, good books have played a big part. So has Scripture — when I finally dug into it. The sacraments, of course. But before all of that, there was something else. Something more ordinary. Friendship. I’m a cradle Catholic,…
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New Scholarship fund honors STM’s founding pastor When Mother Teresa visited St. Thomas More Parish in Allentown in 1976, she came at the invitation of a priest whose vision of Catholic service would eventually reach across the globe. Monsignor Robert J. Coll, the parish’s charismatic founding pastor, had launched Operation Rice Bowl a year earlier, asking families to sacrifice a meal during Lent and donate the savings to feed the…
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Catholic Foundation Welcomes 88 Inaugural Members of New Forever Society What if the most important gift you ever make is one whose full impact you will never live to see? What if that gift could educate a child 30 years from now? Help form a priest 50 years from now? Or sustain a Catholic ministry a century from now? For 88 inaugural members of the Forever Society, those possibilities are…
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Next week, October 19—23, 2026, marks National Estate Planning Awareness Week. This nationwide annual event, just like the Catholic Foundation’s estate planning workshops, reminds people about the importance of having a current and effective estate plan in place. What is National Estate Planning Awareness Week? While traditionally the third week in October has been designated as National Estate Planning Week, the Catholic Foundation encourages Catholics to organize their personal and…
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Back to school feels like a mini season in itself. It brings up different emotions depending on the person. We’re fortunate that our kids love school, so for them it’s all excitement. But my wife ran cross country, and for her, back to school always came with butterflies — knowing races were about to start again. Most of us probably have something like that. A feeling this time of year…
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Joseph and Mary Simko never had any children of their own. But thanks to the Cementon couple’s generosity and strong Catholic faith, generations of children are getting the benefit of a Catholic education through the Joseph and Mary Simko Education Fund. “The church was the center of their lives; it really was,” recalled Mary Simko’s niece, Deborah A. Coles of Tamaqua. “Uncle Joe and Aunt Mary were very involved with…
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The Future of Our Faith Begins Now. Join us for the 2026 State of the Foundation Meeting and see how endowments are shaping Catholic parishes, schools, and ministries — today, tomorrow, and forever. Concord Advisory Group will reveal how our investment portfolio performed this year. Foundation leaders will share stories of how Catholic generosity is futureproofing the mission of the Church. Discover how donors like you are building a faith-filled…
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His generous bequest doubles the endowment he established for the John Paul II Center for Special Learning; demonstrates lasting power of planned giving When John “Jack” Horrigan established an endowment for the John Paul II Center for Special Learning in December 2013, he was doing something that came naturally to him: looking toward the future. Jack was a savvy and successful businessman, a man of deep Catholic faith and a…
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This month I’ve been reflecting on the presence of God. In the Mass readings, we’ve heard some beautiful stories that invite us to reflect on this more deeply — Christ asleep in the storm on the Sea of Galilee, and Christ walking on the water. Both give us an example we can follow in our own lives. Sometimes we might feel like God is there, but asleep. He’s not answering…
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REGISTER for one of the 5 Remaining Fall Estate Planning Workshops Plan Today. Protect Tomorrow. Leave a Legacy Forever. OCT 15, 2026, UPDATE: Five workshops left this Fall. REGISTER TODAY! SEPT 10, 2026, UPDATE: Now offering 11 free fall estate planning workshops throughout 5 counties. You have spent a lifetime caring for the people you love, supporting your parish, practicing your faith and giving generously to causes that matter. Have…
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