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ROME – Pope Benedict XVI urged Catholics to rediscover the traditional “penitential weapons” of prayer, fasting and works of charity in order to make Lent a time of inner renewal. He made the comments during an Ash Wednesday Mass Feb. 21 at the Basilica of Santa Sabina in central Rome. The liturgy began with a procession from the nearby Church of St. Anselm on the Aventine Hill.

Bernard Stabb, 62, is a very healthy eater, exercises almost daily and lifts weights regularly, and he had no idea he was at risk for serious heart problems. This self-described health nut said he saw an ad in his local paper for St. Joseph Medical Center’s new online heart awareness test. After logging on to www.stjosephheartaware.com and taking the seven-minute test, which includes questions about cholesterol, blood pressure and family history, Mr. Stabb was contacted by a St. Joseph nurse. The nurse explained to him the results of the online test warranted a closer look at his heart. Immediately after his CT scan, Mr. Stabb met with a cardiologist. He had a large amount of calcium built up around his heart and yet he had no symptoms.

Her name was Jeanne Stewart. Her walk was different from the other kids. She threw her left leg out and her right hip seem to rise behind her as she labored with every step she took. The left leg was thinner then her right, and her exaggerated limp made walking a struggle. It was 1950, I was 7 years old and polio was the horrific disease of children that either killed you or left you maimed for life.

It is hoop-heaven this coming week as the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association will wrap-up their boys’ basketball tourney Feb. 23 with the A Conference tipping off at 7 p.m. at Gilman School, Baltimore, while the B and C Conference finals will begin at 6:30 p.m. at The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. Log on to the MIAA web site www.miaasports.com for updated information.

WASHINGTON – The chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities is urging the House to amend legislation forbidding discrimination on the basis of genetic information to include unborn children, unimplanted embryos and those in the process of being adopted as “family members” under the bill.

BOSTON – Catholics should build networks of reconciliation to nurture and support one another, U.S. Cardinal J. Francis Stafford, head of the Vatican’s Apostolic Penitentiary, said during a visit to Boston. The cardinal, a former auxiliary bishop of Baltimore, spoke about penance and reconciliation at St. John’s Seminary, addressing lay people Feb. 3 and priests Feb. 5. The Apostolic Penitentiary is a Vatican court that deals with indulgences, matters of conscience and the lifting of certain excommunications and other censures that are reserved to the Holy See.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Saying that “we don’t need a law to tell us what language we are already speaking,” Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell vetoed a bill that would have required city agencies and officials to communicate in English “except when required by federal law or when necessary to protect or promote public health, safety or welfare.” Bishop David R. Choby of Nashville, who stood with Purcell as he made the veto announcement Feb. 12, said the city is “noted for its friendliness and its willingness to welcome those who are new to the area.” “The characteristics of kindness, for which this city has developed a national recognition, can also be called Christian charity,” the bishop said.

How does faith call us to bring hope and healing to the world? Discuss this topic March 12-16 at Mount St. Mary’s University, Emmitsburg, when they host the third annual Callings Conference: Bearers of Hope and Healing. Callings is a program for the theological exploration of Christian vocation.

ROME – The Christian life is a journey that involves moving forward each day, recognizing one’s fragility, overcoming obstacles and continually refocusing on God and his love, Pope Benedict XVI told Rome diocesan seminarians. The fact that Jesus repeatedly had to scold his apostles for their lack of faith and understanding “shows that none of us have reached the heights of this great ‘yes’“ to the Lord, the pope told the 120 seminarians during a Feb. 17 visit at the Rome seminary.

SAN DIEGO – Uganda seems to emit a siren call to visitors, prompting them to stay or to return home and become activists for the people of that war-torn nation. Katie Bradel heard the call on a visit to Uganda in March 2005, during a planned three-month trip. Today, almost two years later, she remains in Uganda, helping train volunteers with an organization called Invisible Children. “People there have so little, but they have so much joy,” she told The Southern Cross, newspaper of the San Diego Diocese. “They are the most welcoming people I’ve ever met. They live each day relying on God to provide.”