Erica and Sean Kerchner find it hard to spend quality time together at the moment. Mr. Kerchner has been training with the U.S. Navy in Norfolk, Va., for four months while his wife of three years stays with her parents in Silver Spring. Mrs. Kerchner said when her husband visits on the weekends, it is...Read More

Surrounded by paintings, letters and memorabilia of Oblate Sisters of Providence founder Mother Mary Lange, Sister Virginie Fish, O.S.P. prepares for the day-long celebration marking the 125th anniversary of the candidate for sainthood’s death on Feb. 3. The event is a tradition the 79-year-old director of the Mother Mary Lange Guild has organized annually since...Read More

There is nothing more exciting than the packed house, overwhelming school spirit and the healthy rivalry between two long-standing Baltimore institutions, The Institute of Notre Dame and Mercy High School. Alumni and basketball enthusiasts alike will gather at the Towson Center, Feb. 2 for the 41st tip-off of “The Game.” Tip-off time is 7:30 p.m....Read More

The Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Middle River, Lady Cougars are poised and prepped to defend their Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland C Conference title this season, maintaining a strong hold on first place of the Conference’s Y Division. The Cougars are posting a 12-3 league record with their lone conference loss Dec. 20 to...Read More

ANNAPOLIS – After many years of failed attempts to repeal the death penalty in Maryland, abolitionists are closer than ever to passing a ban on capital punishment now that Gov. Martin J. O’Malley has promised to sign repeal legislation. The governor made the pledge Jan. 25 after Sen. Lisa Gladden and Del. Sandy Rosenberg, Baltimore...Read More

ROME – Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican secretary of state, strongly defended Pope Pius XII’s wartime actions and said he had coordinated church efforts that saved the lives of many Jews. Cardinal Bertone spoke Jan. 24 at the presentation of the Italian translation of the book “The Righteous: The Unsung Heroes of the Holocaust,” by...Read More

To support the operations of the Franciscan Youth Center, Baltimore, the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation donated $150,000 throughout this past year. The Franciscan Youth Center offers after-school and summer programs to elementary and middle school children and youth.Read More

MEXICO CITY – A Mexican bishop is bucking Vatican orders to erase a phrase in his pastoral plan that notes the desire among his indigenous communities that married permanent deacons be ordained priests. The phrase is not fanning the hopes of a married priesthood, but simply reporting the feelings of many indigenous Catholics, said Bishop...Read More