NPR Photo The Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, the Nashville-based order of religious women who do a bang-up job running Mount de Sales Academy in Catonsville, are getting some national exposure. NPR recently featured the thriving congregation on “All Things Considered.” The program reported that 27 women joined the Nashville Dominicans this year and 90 entered...Read More

WASHINGTON – With the repeal of the policy that banned gays from serving openly in the armed forces, an auxiliary bishop of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services said Dec. 23 that “there are no changes” to the archdiocese’s ministry “and our response” to “don’t ask, don’t tell.”Read More

Ever since she appeared in a BBC documentary on the National Gallery 19 years ago, ?Sister Wendy Beckett has taken the art world by storm. A familiar face on PBS, the surprisingly straight-talking contemplative nun is well-known for her unique insights into art and art history.  Sister Wendy is the author of more than 25 books,...Read More

John Harbaugh (Photo by Owen Sweeney III) As Christmas approaches, Joe Flacco has one thing on his mind: the Cleveland Browns. According to transcipts from the Baltimore Ravens’ Wednesday media day, quarterback  is not too worried about other matters. Asked  what Christmas means to him, Flacco said: “Just time to spend with your family and have a nice...Read More

Between 1977 and 1995, my parents welcomed 17 grandchildren. My wife Mary and I will host that extended family the day after Christmas, adding to the joy of a year that saw three of those McMullen grandkids get married. The last of the three weddings occured Oct. 30, at the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception...Read More

I’m going to to use the blog to post pictures and videos from vivid Christmas displays from all around the Archdiocese of Baltimore. If you have festive display videos and photos, please feel free to send them to mpalmer@CatholicReview.org or post them in the comments section below. We’ll update this post as we get entries....Read More

Two years ago, I profiled Baltimore Ravens’ Head Coach John Harbaugh for a feature story in The Catholic Review.  The gracious NFL coach gave me great insights into his Catholic faith, but there was plenty that didn’t make it to the printed page.  Below is a video report I put together using portions of the Harbaugh interview ...Read More

A week ago, I shared my list for top five worst Christmas songs. Now, here’s the best part, literally. These are my favorites, a list to surely debate below in the comments section. Merry Christmas. 5. Welcome Christmas: Narrator: And he puzzled and puzzed, till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something...Read More