Chicago

The Chicago archdiocese's new "To Teach Who Christ Is" campaign is "well named" because it describes exactly the mission of the Catholic church, said Cardinal Francis George.

It's "what we do -- we teach the world who Christ is," he said.

The three-year campaign will raise $350 million for Catholic education and faith formation. The funds will support archdiocesan Catholic schools, religious education for children and teens, adult faith formation and capital needs for parishes and schools.

The archdiocese of Chicago's strategic plan to keep its Catholic schools vital and viable emphasizes new management strategies, the need to find new funding and a strong focus on Catholic identity and excellent academics.

The plan highlights an issue facing Catholic schools nationwide: funding.

A U.S. District Court judge Feb. 8 dismissed a lawsuit filed against the federal contraceptive mandate by the Springfield and Joliet dioceses, their respective Catholic Charities agencies and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Judge John Darrah of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago said in his ruling the claims of the plaintiffs "are unripe for adjudication."