VATICAN CITY – Amid new disclosures of priestly sex abuse cases in Europe, including one in the German archdiocese formerly headed by Pope Benedict XVI, the Vatican strongly defended the church’s response to the crisis and said the pope has led the effort to root out “filth” in the church.Read More

Since 2002 the Carmelite Sisters of Baltimore have been inviting young women to a Come and See Weekend at their monastery. During this time women get a taste of what it is like to be a Carmelite and a true understanding of the community. “We are trying to foster contemplative prayer for everyone in the...Read More

WASHINGTON – “School choice is becoming less and less a partisan issue,” Morgan Brown, an assistant deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, told a group of Catholic education leaders gathered in Washington for congressional advocacy days. The Bush administration “is the most pro-school-choice administration we’ve ever had at the federal level,” said Mr....Read More

Warning that human life is being devalued at every level, a top human rights attorney from California urged Baltimore health care professionals to support conscience clauses that will help protect their right to uphold the sanctity of life.Read More

The times are changing. Decades ago, Catholic families had a half-dozen kids or more, and Catholic schools were routinely staffed, for the most part, by a convent-full of religious sisters. High schools for boys often had religious brothers teaching. Tuition was often less than $100 a year.Read More

VATICAN CITY – Catholics, and especially Catholic communicators, must ask forgiveness for the times they have failed to share God’s love and compassion, said U.S. Archbishop John P. Foley. “Certainly, it is necessary to identify the evils in society and warn people against them, but our major effort should be in proclaiming the knowledge and...Read More

For three children at Ascension School in Halethorpe, the 2006 Cardinal’s Lenten Appeal guaranteed a Catholic school education this year. The outpouring of contributions from Catholics throughout the Archdiocese of Baltimore last year was just “pennies shy” of the $6 million Cardinal William H. Keeler sought for philanthropic endeavors in the region, and he is...Read More

Lent is a time, not to hurt ourselves, but to die to ourselves so that we can live life to its fullest. Many of our penances – giving up sweets or cigarettes or alcohol, as well intentioned as they are – end up making us more self-absorbed. We are never so conscious of our tooth...Read More