When St. Matthew, Northwood, parishioner Dorothy E. Alford is in need of a spiritual boost or a friend, this 95-year-old Idlewood resident contacts her ‘godparents.’ She is not praying to deceased family or friends who attended her baptism – but calling the two younger women who assisted in her conversion to Catholicism three years ago....Read More

And so this is Christmas. The words sing in the air and they resound in our hearts. Christmas – Christ’s Mass! Christ, born once in Bethlehem, born again on our altars in the Mass, the Eucharist, and born again inside us. Can it get any better than this?Christmas touches what is deepest in our hearts,...Read More

Although the entire room calls Dorothy Dixon “Grandma,” she has no grandchildren. The 91-year-old soup kitchen coordinator answers to the pet name from some 100 community members who visit St. Cecilia, Baltimore, on Thursdays to eat a hot supper. The lively Ms. Dixon walks three blocks daily from her home that she shares with her...Read More

WASHINGTON – Citing “ongoing communication and attempts to rectify the situation,” Phoenix Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted extended from Dec. 17 to Dec. 21 a deadline he had set for a local Catholic hospital to comply with three demands related to the church’s ethical directives for health care.Read More

Spring cleaning takes on a whole new meaning when preparing to sell a house. Nina Sloan, an agent for Long and Foster Realtors in Lutherville, suggests some easy and inexpensive design tips to help people sell their home as quickly as possible. Ms. Sloan recommends getting someone else, an agent or someone who does home...Read More

The holiday season is here. From peppermint lattes and potato latkes, carols to dreidels, there are reminders at every twist and turn.Read More

PHILADELPHIA – Who’s that you’re seeing on YouTube? Yes, it is really Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia. The cardinal is providing video reflections for each Sunday of Lent, as well as for Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter on the free, video-sharing Web site, which allows users to upload, view and share video clips. Once...Read More

VATICAN CITY – Changing the world for the better does not come from leaders making grandiose promises or calling for a violent revolution, Pope Benedict XVI said: It comes from the humble individuals who silently carry God’s light and love to everyone around them.Read More