Parish roundup: Combating porn, food deserts, persecution of Christians

A historic African-American Catholic church in Philadelphia is set to close.

The New Orleans Archdiocese fights what it describes as a porn epidemic.

An Indiana parish copes with the death of two pastors within days of each other.

It's no longer a walk to the grocery store as a supermarket chain closes its stores in Muncie, Indiana. The result is a food desert, resulting in increased numbers at a soup kitchen operated by Catholic parishes.

A call for Catholic parishes to get involved in the human rights issue of persecution of Christians around the world.

There's been a lot of publicity lately about people checking out of the Catholic Church. By contrast, at this time of year, those coming in the door are being formally welcomed, including more than a thousand in the Washington Archdiocese.

Vincentians coordinate efforts to assist the poor in Massachusetts parishes.

The state of West Virginia sues a Catholic diocese for lack of public disclosure of sex abusers in parishes and schools.

[Peter Feuerherd is a correspondent for NCR's Field Hospital series on parish life and is a professor of journalism at St. John's University, New York.]

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