OBrien Articles

Attacks on Religious Freedom

Catholic Review Column May 5, 2011 Title: Attacks on Religious Freedom Still Exist at Home “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government...
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The Hopeful, Holy Men of Baltimore

The Catholic Review Though not a day of obligation and certainly not as faithfully observed as the other solemn days of Holy Week, the Chrism Mass, which is celebrated in our Archdiocese each Monday of Holy Week, is no less powerful or significant. The Chrism Mass is so called because it is the annual liturgical...
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Challenges are Opportunities for Future of our Church

The Catholic Review Dear People of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, The issue of a shortage of priests has always been with our Church. Whether in the early days of the newly reated Diocese of Baltimore or when European immigration was at its zenith, bishops have always contended with the issue of having enough priests to...
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Challenges are Opportunities for Future of our Church

The Catholic Review Dear People of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, The issue of a shortage of priests has always been with our Church. Whether in the early days of the newly reated Diocese of Baltimore or when European immigration was at its zenith, bishops have always contended with the issue of having enough priests to...
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The Pro-Abortion Lobby … Again?

The Catholic Review When the story of the appalling incident involving a young woman’s injuries at an abortion clinic in Elkton, in Cecil County, first surfaced last fall, voices on both sides of the abortion issue raised deep concern. Many were surprised to learn that the Free State’s permissive abortion laws carried no power to...
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Voices of Faith

The Catholic Review In the span of three days, the power of concerned faith communities of Maryland was on display as people of varying religious traditions recently came together to positively impact the political process in our state on three very important issues. First, the effort to redefine marriage in Maryland failed when the bill...
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Do Ashes Make a Difference?

The Catholic Review As is usually the case, churches across the Archdiocese were especially well attended this Ash Wednesday, a helpful sign that some Catholics whom we do not see at Mass too often are still aware of their faith. Please God, the Lord used the opportunity to draw them more closely into His life...
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Worthy of our Defense

The Catholic Review Over the past several weeks, the public debate over proposed legislation that would drastically alter the definition of marriage has been heated and, in the case of the Catholic Church’s position, often mischaracterized and dismissed as discriminatory. With the fate of the bill still in limbo as of this writing, I want...
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Immigration a Test of Faith

The Catholic Review For many Catholics, there are some issues on which the Church’s teaching is difficult to accept. Immigration is seemingly one of these issues. Yet the underpinning for this teaching is the same that justifies our “position” on many other issues so often deemed obvious or “cut and dry” by the very same...
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Marriage Crossroads

The Catholic Review Last Sunday, at a mostly-full Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, hundreds of couples from throughout the Archdiocese of Baltimore came together to celebrate the sacred call that is the vocation to married life. The special liturgy, occurring the same Sunday each February, marks our Church’s celebration of World Marriage Day and is...
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Marriage Crossroads

The Catholic Review Last Sunday, at a mostly-full Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, hundreds of couples from throughout the Archdiocese of Baltimore came together to celebrate the sacred call that is the vocation to married life. The special liturgy, occurring the same Sunday each February, marks our Church’s celebration of World Marriage Day and is...
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Equipped for Ministry?

The Catholic Review One of the great joys I have experienced in my visits to parishes and schools in our Archdiocese over the past three-plus years has been the witness of so many dedicated lay Catholics who serve the Church in many and diverse ways. Much of the work of these lay ministers is visible...
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