A 67-year-old employee of the Archdiocese of New York has been accused of stealing more than $1 million from the church. According to the Manhattan DA's office Anita Collins allegedly wrote herself more than 450 checks from the church, all under $2,500, over more than eight years. The worst part about the story? Collins has previously been busted for financial shenanigans. Twice. The church just wasn't doing criminal background checks when she was hired in 2003. more ›

The imminent closure of two lower Manhattan Catholic schools has gentle Christians seeing red. “Pray for our Schools” and “Save My School” said the signs wielded by students, parents and faculty at a protest rally yesterday. Some admitted that the shut-downs—decided by NY’s Archdiocese, as a result of dropping Catholic school enrollment city-wide—were pushing the limits of their faith. “I’m attempting to be a Christian, but right now I want to kill," said Stephanie Pinto, a trustee and former student of St. James School, established in 1854. more ›

A Rockland County family filed suit against the New York Archdiocese after a Catholic preschool wouldn't accept their child because she has not been fully vaccinated, according to the Post. The couple — who filed the suit anonymously — claim they are the victims of religious discrimination and are seeking a court order so their 4-year-old can attend the St. Margaret School in Pearl River after the preschool rejected their request for a religious exemption. more ›

The Archdiocese of New York is asking a priest at a Staten Island church to go back to his "native Philippines because he’s ill with kidney disease," the Staten Island Advance reports. Rev. Eusebio Pablito Maghari, who has been at the church for six years, says that that he was told he can't stay on because of his health issues (diet and lost sight in one eye) and required weekly dialysis—a letter told him "The rectory is not the appropriate place for you to live." more ›

Archbishop Timothy Dolan is on the information superhighway—the leader of the New York Archdiocese has a blog called The Gospel in the Digital Age, where he tackles things like sexual abuse in the Catholic Church (today's entry is an op-ed he submitted to the NY Times, which declined it) and baseball—"It’s been hard for this bishop to be against angels, but fortunately that crisis of conscience has passed with the Yankees 5-2 victory last night over the Los Angeles Angels, giving them their 40th American League pennant and sending the Bronx Bombers back to the World Series." more ›

Last night, word leaked from the Vatican that Pope Benedict XVI would appoint Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, of Milwaukee, to lead the Archdiocese of New York. The Archdiocese's current head, Cardinal Edward Egan, handed in his resignation letter in 2007 when he turned 75, in keeping with Vatican Law. more ›

New York City Catholic schools are seeing their enrollment numbers dropping dramatically, leading to fears that more schools will have to consolidate or join the 1,300 that have closed nationwide since 1990. Enrollment within the Archdiocese of New York has dropped almost 7% in the last year alone. Catholic schools have long been considered a vital cornerstone in educating New York's kids, especially in lower-income areas of the city. But with more charter schools opening and the average Catholic high school tuition at $5,500, one former charter school principal told the Post, "If you're a middle-income family, you can pony up five grand a year for your kids to go to a Catholic school that's decent. Or, if you can find a charter school that's actually pretty good, then why not take a freebie?" more ›

Monsignor Wallace A. Harris, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Harlem, stepped down amid allegations of sexual abuse. Though the Manhattan DA's office is not pursuing charges because the statute of limitations has run out, the Archdiocese of New York must determine whether to allow Harris, a beloved figure, to practice again. Today, the NY Times reports on another man--a retired police officer and Harlem pastor--claiming he was also abused by Harris. Though the Archdiocese invites him to report the abuse to the authorities, Eric Crumbley Sr., who met Harris at another church when he was an altar boy, he doesn't plan to do so. Rather, he just wants the other accusers "to know they are not alone. I know what happened to those boys because it happened to me, too. I’m telling them: ‘I support you.’" more ›

Monsingor Wallace A. Harris, the pastor of Saint Charles Borromeo Parish, stepped down yesterday due to allegations he abused minors. The Archdiocese of New York has barred him from practicing until the Advisory Review Board makes a decision. more ›

Next month, Pope Benedict XVI will be coming to the Big Apple for his first papal visit. And amongst the gifts he receives will be a skateboard designed by young New Yorker. more ›

Cathedral High School has a top reputation as an all-girls high school of the Archdiocese of New York. However, this past week has been rough: Teachers from Cathedral, as well as from nine other Catholic high schools, had a sickout. Plus, a former teacher admitted to assaulting students. more ›