VATICAN CITY – The death of an Italian muscular dystrophy patient who had his respirator disconnected is fueling a complex and significant discussion among top church officials. Piergiorgio Welby, who was paralyzed and kept alive by a breathing machine for nine years, pleaded for months for the device to be turned off. He said medical...Read More
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued a set of guidelines for using social media, especially as social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter continue to gain in popularity.Read More
ST. LOUIS – The new Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America launched by Catholic Charities USA is getting support from the public policy agency of the Missouri bishops and from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s national council. “Any way Catholic Charities and others can bring their direct experience of working with the poor...Read More
WASHINGTON – The Vatican’s decision to declare the attempted ordination of women a major church crime reflects “the seriousness with which it holds offenses against the sacrament of holy orders” and is not a sign of disrespect toward women, Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl of Washington said July 15.Read More
When Marie Beck first started volunteering at Our Lady of Fatima School in Baltimore 16 years ago, her grandson always called her “grandmom” when he saw her on campus. Before long, other students began addressing Ms. Beck as their “grandmom,” too. The name stuck and that’s how Ms. Beck is now known by everyone from...Read More
Medical Mission Sister Patricia Edelen, a Baltimore native, will celebrate her 60th jubilee Aug. 15 in Philadelphia, during a Mass and reception at the order’s North American headquarters, where she is currently facilities coordinator.Read More
ST. LOUIS – Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty is calling for the state’s General Assembly to enact a three-year moratorium on executions in the state and to create a commission to examine the death penalty system. Nearly 300 groups in the state, including the four Catholic dioceses and numerous parishes, have endorsed a moratorium....Read More
WASHINGTON – Father William R. Callahan, a leading activist for peace and social justice, died July 5 at Community Hospice in Washington of complications from Parkinson’s disease. He was 78.Read More
SAN FRANCISCO – The commonality that religious faiths share goes back thousands of years, and Jesus’ intent was for the different faiths to work together, said a San Francisco priest. The annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, observed Jan. 18-25, offers an opportunity for religions to celebrate what they have in common and to...Read More
A major step forward for our Archdiocese took place last week with the arrival of Paulist Father John Hurley who joins us as the Executive Director of the Department of Evangelization for the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Father Hurley’s priestly life has been focused upon the spread of the gospel on behalf of our own Catholics...Read More
When Tom Kinstle of Homeland retired from Lockheed Martin in 2002 and joined his wife’s Timonium-based design business, he wasn’t worried that too much togetherness would cause conflicts at work or at home. “I dabble here,” the 73-year-old Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, Homeland parishioner said. “It’s Ruth’s business.” That statement caused his youthful-looking 60-year-old...Read More