Page 2009 – Archdiocese of Baltimore

March 13, 2009

HARTFORD, Conn. – About 5,000 people gathered outside Connecticut’s state Capitol in Hartford March 11 to protest a bill – pulled from the Legislature the previous day – that would have given laypeople financial control of their parishes.

Pope Benedict to make fall visit to Rome synagogue

March 13, 2009

VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI will make his first visit to the synagogue of Rome in the fall, the city’s Jewish community announced.

Conscience Matters

Archdiocese Staff

March 12, 2009

OBrien Articles

The Catholic Review Our elected officials in the Maryland General Assembly have been asked to consider many difficult and controversial issues since the legislature convened in January, with several more to come before the session ends in mid-April. Most recently we have witnessed the protracted debate in Annapolis regarding the repeal of our state’s death […]

Father Carrion elevated to pastor in South Baltimore

March 11, 2009

When he became a priest in 1982, Father Patrick M. Carrion assumed he would serve in maybe five parishes in his lifetime. He was wrong.

St. John Regional receives chamber award

St. John Regional Catholic School in Frederick was scheduled to receive a Summit Award March 12 from the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce.

Non-Catholic students must value religious education

Julian Bower’s letter, “Why non-Catholics in Catholic schools” (CR, Feb. 26), raises a legitimate point, if properly understood. Given the extreme financial challenges facing our parochial and other Catholic schools, should we be “subsidizing” the education of non-Catholics who, in many cases, wish to escape underperforming public schools by enrolling in a Catholic school? After all, aren’t all youngsters entitled to a decent education? Absolutely! But our Catholic schools are fundamentally and necessarily schools of religion, as one bishop expressed it to me years ago. We are not in the business of offering alternative schools simply or primarily as an escape from poor pedagogy.

No need for pontiff to be politically correct

Many critics of Pope Benedict XVI’s action lifting the excommunication of the four schismatic bishops of the Society of St. Pius X, including Bishop Richard Williamson, were uninformed about the pope’s duties to the Catholic Church. The unity of the universal church is the pope’s innate and paramount responsibility. The revocation of the excommunication to bring back in the fold the four bishops who seceded from the Vatican had nothing to do with Bishop Williamson’s denial of the Holocaust. Indeed, Bishop Williamson’s dispute of the scale of the atrocities committed by the Nazi gas chamber was a sideshow and a pretext to attack the pope and the church.

Maryland March for Life 2009

Archdiocese Staff

OBrien Homilies

We gather again, here in our State capital and in the midst of Maryland’s legislative session, to promote the cause of life. As happens annually, our Mass is a Lenten Mass and we are providentially offered the Lenten readings of the day to shed light on our efforts. To begin with, let’s take the […]

Study seeks couples who want to avoid pregnancy the natural way

March 6, 2009

WASHINGTON – Richard Fehring is looking for a few good couples. More than a few, actually.

Leading Voices on Schools

Archdiocese Staff

March 5, 2009

OBrien Articles

The Catholic Review In my column two weeks ago, I provided the text of the address I delivered last month at two separate meetings with parish and school leaders concerning the critical challenges facing our schools. In those remarks I presented an overview of the current state of our schools and an outline of the […]

St. Joseph executives take administrative leave

March 3, 2009