A diocese’s fight to keep secrets | Morning Newsletter

Good morning, Philly.

The Camden Diocese has waged a secret — and successful — legal battle to block a report targeting decades of clergy abuse. Read on to learn about the case as it goes before New Jersey’s Supreme Court.

And in West Philadelphia, new after-school opportunities are available for city kids — thanks to Tiger Woods. Let’s get into these stories and more.

— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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In 2018, inspired by public accountability efforts in Pennsylvania, New Jersey’s then-attorney general vowed to investigate decades of sexual abuse by Catholic priests across the state. The goal was to convene a grand jury and produce a report detailing allegations of wrongdoing.

More than 500 survivors reached out to share their stories of abuse.

Yet seven years later, no grand jury has been convened, and no report has been produced. Newly unsealed court documents reveal that the church has stymied the state’s efforts by arguing that Jersey law shields it from the type of legal action being sought.

The state’s Supreme Court will hear arguments today from the church and the attorney general’s office on whether prosecutors should be allowed to move forward with their investigation. Meanwhile, the years of inaction have left some survivors feeling pained and asking for transparency.

In their own words: “It’s a roller-coaster ride,” the New Jersey director for Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests told The Inquirer. “Every time you think, ‘Gee, this is it. It’s going to happen. It’s going to get done,’ for whatever reason, then nothing, nothing, nothing.”

Reporters Chris Palmer and Aliya Schneider explain the case.

Funding for extracurriculars is exceedingly tight in Philly schools, even amid a citywide push to get district kids into after-school programming.

As of this month, the TGR Learning Lab at the historic Cobbs Creek Golf Course is open and ready to fill some of that gap.

Backed by the TGR Foundation, golf superstar Tiger Woods’ nonprofit, the 30,000-square-foot educational facility at 74th Street and Lansdowne Avenue comes with amenities such as 3D printers and drones, a music studio, and a wellness room.

The best part: It’s all free for students to use, year-round.

Education reporter Kristen A. Graham visited alongside a group from Girls High to learn what makes the new facility unique.

Which Philly-raised singer is among the 2025 inductees to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?

A) Chubby Checker

B) Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter

C) Daryl Hall

D) Patti LaBelle

Think you know? Check your answer.

🎷 Honoring: Three 1960s jazz clubs on the Philadelphia Music Alliance Walk of Fame.

🥃 Trying: Malört, Chicago’s famous (and infamous) spirit, now available in Pennsylvania.

🐟 Asking Kiki: “How do I shop responsibly for fish?”

🏠 Ogling: The most expensive home ever publicly sold in Sea Isle City.

💰 Considering: The impact of the nation’s first neighborhood trust focused on a commercial corridor, Kensington Corridor Trust.

Hint: “Grand Dame of Broad Street,” a.k.a. the Park Hyatt at _ _ _

TEETHE BELOVE HULL

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.

Cheers to Debbie Russo, who solved Sunday’s anagram: Birmingham. A new British comic-documentary visits all 17 municipalities named Birmingham in America (and one in Canada) — including burgs in Burlington and Chester Counties.

Here’s one to warm your heart: A Bensalem teenager needed a kidney. A New York woman needed to remove hers. After the transplant, they met for the first time at Temple University Hospital.

Think back to the night that changed your life that could only happen in Philly, a true example of the Philly spirit, the time you finally felt like you belonged in Philly if you’re not a lifer, something that made you fall in love with Philly all over again — or proud to be from here if you are. Then email it to us for a chance to be featured in the Monday edition of this newsletter.

This “only in Philly” story comes from reader Lois Remick, who describes a connection to the city’s most historic site:

As a co-operative education student at Northeastern University in Boston, I was sent by my co-op employer, the New York Regional National Park Service, to explore the Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia.

I still remember the chills up my backbone as I entered the Assembly Room of Independence Hall. It was as if I had finally found my home! Here was the room where my America began! I knew that somehow I needed to come back to Philadelphia and work as a historian in that room.

And so it was that I accepted an offer of a job with the National Park Service upon graduation. While the NPS sent me to the Grand Canyon National Park for a three-month orientation, I told all my NPS teachers that I had to be stationed in Philadelphia, at Independence Hall. My quest was soon rewarded, as my first assignment was Independence National Historical Park!

In my new home of Philadelphia, I learned to eat scrapple, chewy pretzels, and cheesesteaks. I married a fantastic guy from Mt. Airy, and we brought up two wonderful children in the suburb of Oreland.

Along the way I became the supervisor of the tour guides at Independence National Historical Park and hoped I was instilling the thrill of being in Philly and in the room where my America began.

Thanks for starting your week with The Inquirer. Have a great Monday.

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