William J. McCarthy Jr., the executive director of Catholic Charities of Baltimore, had a most emotional St. Patrick’s Day.
McCarthy was honored as Hibernian of the Year at the 208th anniversary dinner of The Hibernian Society of Baltimore, which was held at the Grand Lodge of the Masonic Temple in Cockeysville March 17.
Four years earlier to the day, McCarthy and his wife, Maria, buried their daughter, Erinn, who had succumbed to bone marrow cancer. She was a member of the Class of 2010 at Maryvale Preparatory School.
McCarthy acknowledged both his late daughter and his Irish ancestors in a poignant acceptance speech. He was introduced by Timothy F. Maloney, who referenced the Gospel of Matthew and noted that McCarthy’s goal is to “meet every staffer of Catholic Charities.”
Father John B. “Jack” Ward, pastor of Prince of Peace Parish in Edgewood, serves as chaplain of The Hibernian Society of Baltimore. Also in attendance were Monsignor James P. Farmer, pastor of St. John, Westminster; Jesuit Father Thomas A. Pesci, president of Loyola Blakefield; and U.S. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin.
Daniel P. Cahill succeeded Dr. William W. Mitcherling as president of the society, which was organized in 1803 to provide charitable assistance and continues to benefit the community, through its college scholarship program.
Relics at Greek Orthodox retreat
The Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation in Baltimore will showcase relics of Ss. Joachim and Anna, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, during its 17th annual Lenten retreat April 2.
The retreat, open to all faiths, will be led by the Rev. Dr. Christopher Flesoras, pastor of St. Anna Greek Orthodox Shrine in Roseville, Calif.
According to the California shrine’s website, the relics of Ss Joachim and Anna will be leaving there for the first time since August 2007, when they were gifted by the Very Rev. Cherubim Apostolou, of the Monastery of Great Lavra on Mount Athos, Greece. He had been given them in 1997 by Cardinal Joachim Miesner of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne, Germany.
The retreat begins at 8:30 a.m. at the cathedral, at 24 W. Preston St. The registration fee of $30 includes breakfast and lunch. For more information, call 410-252-6021.
Walsh boys break through
Pat Jones (CR, March 10) made it a memorable Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament for the Bishop Walsh School basketball team.
The junior scored the winning basket March 18, when the Spartans beat St. Benedict’s (N.J.) Prep, 61-60, in the losers’ bracket semifinals. It snapped a 43-game losing streak in the tournament at Frostburg State University, where Bishop Walsh had last won a game in 1996.
Archbishop Spalding High School and Seton Keough High School finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the Bishop Walsh Girls Invitational, which was played March 10-12.