Page 1796 – Archdiocese of Baltimore

VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI announced that he planned to attend World Youth Day celebrations in Australia in July 2008, and he encouraged young people to prepare for “this marvelous celebration of the faith.” Speaking at the end of his general audience July 4, the pope confirmed hopes that he would make the 10,000-mile journey from Rome to Sydney for the international assembly with hundreds of thousands of youths. “One year from now we will meet at World Youth Day in Sydney!” the pope told a group of young people in Rome for a planning session. The pope tentatively was scheduled to arrive in Sydney July 17, 2008, for four days of ceremonies.

NBC’s Hansen addresses Catholic educators on online dangers

NEWTON, Mass. – Like Catholic educators, Chris Hansen of the “To Catch a Predator” segments on “Dateline NBC” seeks to inform young people. Raising awareness and debunking myths about sexual predators have been the aims of the 11 reports he has worked on thus far, he said.

At national conference, young adults renew commitment to church

SAN DIEGO – About 500 Catholics flocked to the San Diego Marriott Del Mar June 29-July 1 for a full schedule of educational, spiritual and social programming specifically designed for single Catholics.

Sarah’s Hope expands homeless services

Sarah’s Hope Outreach Center, a homeless shelter in Rosedale operated by St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore, has expanded its services to run 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

St. Frances Peace Camp instills nonviolent values

As 8-year-old Darrell Truesdale scampers down the corridors of St. Frances Academy in Baltimore on a recent summer morning, the inner-city youth prepares for a lesson about Mahatma Gandhi, the slain political and spiritual leader of India who advocated nonviolent solutions. The session is part of a forceful curriculum at the school’s summer-long Peace Camp, designed to teach Baltimore’s children how to rebuke the violence plaguing city streets. Though it’s the third year St. Frances Academy has offered a free, six-week, all-day camp, this is the first summer it has a “peace” theme.

Articles hold different viewpoints

In “Two anniversaries of political consequence,” (CR, June 21), George Weigel uses the attack by Israel of Egypt, Syria and Jordan in 1967 as a justification for preemptive war as a legitimate part of foreign policy.

Mother, daughter create magic on Mercy team

On a warm afternoon in mid-June, Mary Ella Marion sat in her office at Mercy High School, Baltimore, flanked by two of her three children, Maggie, a rising junior at Mercy, and Matt, a recent graduate from Salisbury University. They were wrapping up a morning session from the weeklong Mercy Magic Summer Basketball Camp for girls, each with specific roles as members of Marion’s staff.

Tekakwitha attendees urged to follow in footsteps of Blessed Kateri

WASHINGTON – Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver urged those gathered at the Tekakwitha Conference Mass June 30 in Washington to follow in the footsteps of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha and follow Jesus Christ as she did.

Internet offers resources for those interested in Tridentine rite

VATICAN CITY – Libraries and the neglected corners of sacristy closets may not be the best place to find resources for taking advantage of expanded permission to use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal for the Tridentine Mass.

Hundreds welcome World Youth Day cross

SYDNEY, Australia – Hundreds of youth, clergy and laity watched the World Youth Day cross and icon of Mary and Jesus pass from young New Zealanders to youth representatives from every Australian diocese.

Ellicott City church plans parish center

Parish leaders at St. Paul in Ellicott City have completed a master plan that calls for the demolition of a duplex on parish grounds and replacing it with a two-story parish center. As part of the master plan, the entrance on College Avenue will be widened to allow for safer ingress and egress.

Depression places social stigma on patients, says doctor