VATICAN CITY – Pope John Paul II’s tomb was opened and his casket removed in preparation for veneration after his beatification May 1.

VATICAN CITY – Pope John Paul II’s tomb was opened and his casket removed in preparation for veneration after his beatification May 1.

VATICAN CITY – The city of Rome launched beefed-up security measures in the days before the May 1 beatification of Pope John Paul II. Officers were even brushing up on their English to better help the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims expected for the event.
I would like to applaud Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien for his column (CR, April 7). I was happy to see cohabitation condemned and marriage upheld by the church publicly. His message was one that is seldom heard anymore. We live in a society where cohabitation and premarital sex are “the norm.” Even among the body of Christ, a person is viewed as odd or rare when they live according to this aspect of church teaching. However, God knew that a lifestyle of sex outside the bounds of marriage is anything but normal. He gave us this teaching and the magisterium upholds it because it is right; its adherence brings healing to people and relationships when it is followed. We live in a world where society and the media lie to us by telling us there are no consequences to cohabitation and premarital sex. May our eyes be opened to the truth as spoken by God and the church.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Lower School, located in Middle River, was awarded the 2011 Catholic Schools for Tomorrow Award from Today’s Catholic Teacher magazine. The award celebrates Catholic schools that develop innovative solutions to education issues. Recognizing a down economy, Lisa Shipley, principal at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Lower School, wanted to be […]
In a further step toward creating a more cohesive school system, the Archdiocese of Baltimore has announced that all its Catholic elementary schools will open on the same day, August 29, at the start of the next school year. Superintendent of Schools for the Archdiocese, Dr. Barbara McGraw Edmondson, said the decision to create a […]
William Donald Schaefer made the rounds in Baltimore City for the last time April 25, when a number of Baltimore pastors made it a point to be outside the Basilica on Cathedral Street, when a touring motorcade stopped for a brief blessing and prayer from Bishop Denis J. Madden (see photo below). Monsignor Ed Miller, the pastor […]
A funeral Mass for Thomas L. Keeler, brother of Cardinal William H. Keeler, retired Archbishop of Baltimore, was to be offered April 26 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Father Milton Hipsley holds his rosary at his Mercy Ridge residence in Timonium last year. (CR/Owen Sweeney III) Father Milton Hipsley’s letters started arriving on my desk in the summer of 2009. Very neatly written in all capital letters, the notes always seemed focused on the importance of kindness and of taking time for
Warren Tanghe was ordained a transitional deacon in February by Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien. Photo courtesy Kitt O According to an April 25 news release from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the average age of men ordained to the priesthood in 2011 is trending younger, with the average age being 34. That has […]
Nearly 800 new Catholics will enter the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Baltimore at Saturday’s Easter Vigil. Seven hundred and ninety-three people will enter into full communion with the Catholic Church at the solemn Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday, April 23. A total of 228 catechumens (the un-baptized) and 565 candidates (already Baptized in […]
I was lucky enough to win the Maryland, Delaware, D.C. Press Association Award for Best Blog last week. It’s the second time in three years I’ve received the honor, but the first since I re-booted the blog last November. The judges said, “This is everything you want in a blog – concise writing; catchy nontraditional […]
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 […]
