Home Page

Shortly after undergoing brain surgery at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, June 18, Cardinal William H. Keeler was cracking jokes with a family member, a sign the procedure went well, officials from the Archdiocese of Baltimore said. Deacon Rod Mortel, director of the Office of the Propagation of the Faith for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, visited the cardinal in his hospital room June 19. “I was surprised to see him in such good shape just 24 hours after having surgery. He is doing very well,” said Deacon Mortel, a retired physician. “He was alert and in good spirits. He even got up and walked around, with a little help, of course.”

JERUSALEM – The Gaza compound of the Rosary Sisters was ransacked and looted and sacred objects were destroyed during Palestinian infighting that led to the Hamas faction’s takeover of the Gaza Strip. Monsignor Manuel Musallam, pastor of Holy Family Parish in Gaza, said gunmen used rocket-propelled grenades to break down the doors of the compound, which is located some distance from the Holy Family Parish compound in the Tenalhawa section of Gaza. He estimated damages at more than $500,000. “This is more than vandalism,” he said. “They forced open the door and entered and destroyed everything. The even put the sisters’ beds on fire.”

Living with eight different foster parents over the course of six years isn’t exactly a recipe for stability, but 18-year-old Morris Johnson didn’t let it hold him back. With strong support from Catholic educators and a deep faith in God, the young convert to Catholicism made it through Mother Seton Academy in Fells Point and graduated this June from Loyola Blakefield in Towson. He plans to study business at Goucher College in Towson this fall. A few days after receiving his high school diploma, Mr. Johnson said he is grateful for the opportunities he has received through his Catholic upbringing. He’s not sure where he would be today had he not attended Catholic schools, he said.

The aroma of baked lasagna and homemade sauces wafted through the parish hall of Our Lady of the Fields, Millersville, June 16, as the parish celebrated the feast of St. Anthony with an Italian Festival. “It’s a good way to evangelize,” said Lisa Pitocco, coordinator of the event and a native Italian. “We get the Italians from all over to get together and even people who aren’t Italian come and experience the culture and good food.”

As Cardinal William H. Keeler underwent surgery to remove excess fluid from his brain June 18, well wishers and fellow Catholics prayed for the 76-year-old Archbishop of Baltimore during a 12:10 p.m. Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Baltimore. Bishop W. Francis Malooly, western vicar and vicar general, told the congregation and members of the media who assembled for the service he had celebrated Mass with the cardinal earlier that morning and said the cardinal was optimistic about the outcome of the surgery at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore.

ASSISI, Italy – On a pilgrimage to the birthplace of St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Benedict XVI appealed for peace in the Middle East and a return to “responsible and sincere dialogue” to end armed conflicts. The pope’s one-day trip June 17 marked the 800th anniversary of the conversion of St. Francis, a figure the pope described as a one-time “king of partying” who learned to make space for God. The pope made a point of praising the 1986 interreligious gathering in Assisi, an initiative of Pope John Paul II, as “a prophetic intuition and a moment of grace.” Such dialogue is an essential part of Christianity, but must be carried out without weakening the Christian duty to spread the Gospel, he said.