Page 1826 – Archdiocese of Baltimore

When Joshua Casteel, a conscientious objector, spoke to the pope about the Catholic Peace Fellowship’s initiative, “The pope listened carefully, then thanked Mr. Casteel and told him he would pray for him.” (CR, May 3) Would the pope not say the same to a conscientious protector?

What about marriage?

I stipulate at the outset that religious vocations are urgently needed and vitally important to the mission of the church. In no way do I wish to denigrate the sacrifice of those so called. I remain most grateful for their commitment and service. However I am somewhat disheartened that marriage, as a vocation, is hardly addressed from the pulpit or in weekly church publications such as The Catholic Review. It strikes me as missed opportunity to elevate, in the eyes of the faithful, the rightful position of marriage in God’s plan for humanity.

Bishops’ work group affirms anti-abuse programs

WASHINGTON – A report sent to the U.S. bishops by their National Review Board and Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People said the safe environment education programs for children in dioceses across the nation are “a major accomplishment and one that must continually be maintained and reinforced.” It proposed criteria for evaluating and improving those programs, which are intended to prevent the sexual abuse of children and young people and to help them recognize it if it occurs and report it to adults.

IED wounds account for many of Walter Reeds injuries

WASHINGTON – Along with all the other military jargon and abbreviations, a relatively new term keeps bubbling up to the surface at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, as well as in popular parlance: IED. It’s short for improvised explosive device. IEDs account for a large share of the wounds sustained by U.S. soldiers in Iraq – and for a large share of the patients at Walter Reed, many of whom have lost limbs because of the devices. The patient information sheets at Walter Reed aren’t always accurate, but they include identification of patients by religion. Father Patrick Kenny, the only full-time Catholic chaplain at Walter Reed, uses them to greet, comfort and bless the Catholic patients there. Sgt. Juan Roldan was with his infantry unit when one of the devices exploded. The injuries he sustained required that both his legs be amputated above the knee. “I don’t remember much,” Roldan said softly as his mother stayed by the foot of his bed. “I think I’ll be here for a while.” “He’ll be walking – soon,” Father Kenny said, providing positive reinforcement to Mr. Roldan after extending a blessing to the soldier.

Bishop Kevin Farrell installed as bishop of Dallas Diocese

DALLAS – Bishop Kevin J. Farrell was installed May 1 as the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Dallas during a Mass at the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe attended by an overflow crowd of more than 2,000 people. The two-hour Mass was concelebrated by archbishops, bishops and priests from Texas and from around the United States. They included Washington Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl and Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, retired archbishop of Washington. Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the U.S., read the apostolic mandate appointing Bishop Farrell to Dallas. Bishop Brian Farrell, who is secretary of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the brother of Bishop Kevin Farrell, also concelebrated the Mass.

Parishes benefit from Haiti partnerships

Instead of asking for presents for her seventh birthday, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Edgewater, parishioner Sophie Smith asked her friends to help sponsor a child in Haiti. Sophie, her brother Sam Smith and other young people have taken the lead in raising money for Our Lady of Perpetual Help’s new sister parish, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Perodin, in Haiti. Sam has been collecting spare change from parishioners after Masses each weekend while his friend Tyler Phillips, 10, sells colorful pencils with the words “Give a hand to Haiti” engraved on them for $1.25 a piece. “We are more fortunate than them and they are poor so we should help them,” said Sophie while Sam added, “knowing they need our help” is what drives him to collect donations.

Retreats offer break from everyday hustle

There are only so many hours in a business professional’s day and by the end of the week it’s nice to take some time away from the hassles of the workplace. At the Malvern Retreat House in Pennsylvania, a new retreat specifically developed to help individuals integrate spirituality with business will take place June 1- 3. “One should take the time to place God first in one’s life,” said Anne McGlone, director of marketing and public relations for the Malvern Retreat House. “If one places God first then everything else falls into place.”

We Must Never Forget

Memorial Day is a legal holiday, observed annually on the last Monday in May to honor our nation’s armed forces who served gallantly in too many campaigns. The holiday, originally called Decoration Day, is traditionally marked by parades, speeches, ceremonies and the decoration of graves with flowers and flags, hence the original name. Memorial Day was first observed on May 30, 1868, on the order of Major General John Alexander Logan for the purpose of decorating graves of the American Civil War dead.

Parishioners learn how expensive it is to run their church

When Ss. Philip & James, Homewood, parishioner Mary Fetsch read a recent church bulletin, she was shocked to see a copy of her parish’s Baltimore Gas & Electric bill inside. The document revealed the April utility charges for the church to be more than $4,600, with an additional $1,373.41 for the rectory. The bill was included to impress upon parishioners the basic costs of running the church and the need for generous tithing, said Father William A. Au, pastor.

Bishop Walsh adopts new administrative model

CUMBERLAND – Bishop Walsh School in Cumberland has recently adopted a president-principal administrative model, joining a growing list of Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese of Baltimore that have done the same. Of the 21 high schools in the archdiocese, 12 already employ a president-principal model. The John Carroll School in Bel Air announced this year it will be switching to the two-pronged leadership approach next school year and other schools are considering it.

Police file charges against officials at church retreat center

MURINGOOR, India – Police have filed criminal charges against 10 top officials of a popular Catholic retreat center in southern India. The accused include two Vincentian priests and a nun. The charges against the Divine Retreat Center officials were filed April 30 at the direction of Kerala state’s High Court, which ordered a probe of the center more than a year ago, reported UCA News, an Asian church news agency. The charges come under Indian Penal Code sections dealing with criminal conspiracy, wrongful confinement, voluntarily causing harm with dangerous weapons, poisoning and tampering with evidence, said a police official who did not want to be identified.

Church must dispel prejudice about its stance on AIDS