Page 1836 – Archdiocese of Baltimore

As governor of Maryland, St. Francis of Assisi, Baltimore, parishioner Martin J. O’Malley works long hours in a high-pressure job that health experts say can lead to chronic health problems if he doesn’t balance his professional life with other activities.

On Easter, pope laments ‘continual slaughter’ in Iraq

VATICAN CITY – In his Easter message, Pope Benedict XVI lamented the countless wars, disasters and horrors ravaging the world, including “the continual slaughter” in Iraq and the situation in the Darfur region of Sudan. “Natural calamities and human tragedies that cause innumerable victims and enormous material destruction are not lacking” in the world, he said in his April 8 message, broadcast to millions of people in more than 65 countries.

Layman wields enormous influence within church

BEIJING – He’s known as “the black pope of China” – a play on the “black pope” title given to the powerful head of the Jesuits – and whether or not people like his methods, they all agree that he is one of the most powerful laymen in China’s Catholic Church. Anthony Liu Bainian, 73, an ex-seminarian from Shangdong province, currently serves as vice president of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. To some he is a man trying to ingratiate himself to government authorities; to others he is the man with power to sway government decisions about the church.

Candlelight vigil held at St. Ambrose to protest violence

Fed up with mounting violence surrounding their place of worship, a group of candle-wielding parishioners from St. Ambrose, Baltimore, will pray on Good Friday as their pastor, Father Paul Zaborowski, O.F.M. Cap., blesses the four corners of the church’s Park Heights property. “Calling the police hasn’t helped,” said Father Zaborowski, who said a vigil will take place following the 7 p.m. Good Friday service at the church. “We’re in need of a stronger authority.”

China’s one-child policy takes toll on vocations

BEIJING – China’s one-child policy, begun nearly 30 years ago, still provides pastoral challenges and is taking a toll on vocations, said some Chinese church leaders. Auxiliary Bishop Paul Pei Junmin of Liaoning said that, in the past, the diocese used to have 20 young men and women enter the seminary and convent each year, but that has changed because of the one-child policy and “the influence of materialism.” “Here the church in China is very traditional, conservative,” said Bishop Pei. “It’s very difficult to reconcile with the government regulations and church teachings,” especially when people can lose their jobs for having a second child.

Church’s relationship with younger adults is problematic

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Catholic Church’s relationship with younger adults is problematic, says a newly published study by four leading sociologists of religion. In one recent survey “just over half of American Catholics said that young adults’ lack of participation in the church is a serious problem,” the 205-page book says. That concern was reflected not just by older Catholics, but even by nearly half of the younger adult Catholics surveyed, it says. The new book is titled “American Catholics Today: New Realities of Their Faith and Their Church.” It was co-authored by William V. D’Antonio, James D. Davidson, Dean R. Hoge and Mary L. Gautier.

Second-graders re-enact Last Supper

DENVER – It looked amazingly like the Leonardo da Vinci painting of the Last Supper – only the faces seated around the long table were those of 7- and 8-year-olds. For some 15 years, Karen Merten has had her second-graders at Blessed Sacrament School in Denver re-enact the Last Supper to deepen their understanding of what took place on Holy Thursday when Christ instituted the Eucharist. The exercise not only helps them prepare for Easter, but also for their first Communion in May.

Bishop welcomes Iran’s decision to release sailors

LONDON – The head of Great Britain’s military diocese has welcomed the Iranian government’s decision to release 15 captured British sailors and marines. Bishop Thomas Burns of the Bishopric of the Forces said the decision by the Iranian government to free the 14 men and one woman was “not just as the result of diplomacy, but also as an act of mercy” in accordance with Islam. He said in a statement issued to Catholic News Service April 4 that the Iranians decided “to put their faith into action to resolve the situation.”

Easter parade showcases pro-life commitment

JOLIET, Ill. – In keeping with the springtime theme that celebrates the wealth of new life found throughout nature – blooming flowers, budding trees and newborn bunnies – the pro-life ministry at St. Patrick Parish in Joliet fits right in. For the fifth year in a row, St. Patrick Parish entered a respect-life float in Joliet’s Easter parade, held April 1. More than 90 entries in this year’s parade attracted several hundred onlookers along the route.

Writer awed over responsibility

VATICAN CITY – It’s not every day a person gets a call from the Vatican, and most people would be bowled over when it happens. The late Mario Luzi, who as a prolific Italian poet shouldn’t have been at a loss for words, was “flabbergasted” when the Vatican called him up saying Pope John Paul II wanted him to pen the meditations for the pope’s 1999 Good Friday Way of the Cross, an event watched each year by millions of people around the world.

Time to Time: Events lead up to Holy Week

Among the many ways of communicating the good news of the Gospel is radio. A radio Mass brings the Gospel into many homes in the Baltimore area every Sunday. On March 18 I had the privilege of celebrating a radio Mass and preaching at St. Ignatius Church. The pastor, Father James Casciotti, S.J., welcomed me to the special studio which is the weekly scene of the Mass. The Gospel readings that day told the story of the Prodigal Son, although it really shows God as the Merciful Father, who forgives the failings of the son, embraces him, and has the fatted calf killed to celebrate his return.

Pope encourages priests to be inspired by Christ