From time to time, I will invite guest columnists to share their “Thoughts on our Church.” I am especially anxious to introduce members of our Archdiocesan staff, given the extraordinary expertise they offer me and all our Archdiocesan efforts. Harold (Hal) Smith has been Executive Director of Archdiocesan Catholic Charities since 1976 and has gained...Read More

WASHINGTON – The head of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities welcomed President George W. Bush’s May 3 promise to “veto any legislation that weakens current federal policies and laws on abortion.” Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia also expressed gratitude in a May 4 statement for pledges by 155 members of the House of...Read More

When Marc Franklin first walked through the doors of Boys Hope at the age of 12, he remembers being “scared, but really excited at the same time.”Read More

HOPELAWN, N.J. – When young men are discerning the vocation of priesthood, it is important that they have a quiet place for prayer and reflection while learning about the life that would come with being a priest. Through the work and support of many individuals, the Metuchen Diocese has created such a setting for those...Read More

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – In 2001, some “lost boys of Sudan” arrived in the U.S. and the first phase of their long run from the horrors of their homeland’s civil war was fading in the distance.Read More

Instead of asking for presents for her seventh birthday, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Edgewater, parishioner Sophie Smith asked her friends to help sponsor a child in Haiti. Sophie, her brother Sam Smith and other young people have taken the lead in raising money for Our Lady of Perpetual Help’s new sister parish, St. Elizabeth...Read More

Two Baltimore Archdiocesan Holy Name Union (BAHNU) members of the year were recognized and eight seminarians presented with stipends at the 55th annual Holy Name Baseball Night July 25 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.Read More

FUSHUN, China (CNS) -- Ninety-year-old Sister Peter has worked in a bus factory, built houses, reinforced river embankments and spent time in jail and a mental institution. Bishop Pius Jin Peixian of Liaoning, 83, spent 10 years in prison and later was sent to a work farm. In 1966, at age 19, Cecilia Tao Beiling...Read More