Page 1875 – Archdiocese of Baltimore

Bishop Denis J. Madden, urban vicar, presented the Archdiocesan Medal of Honor to three parishioners of St. William of York, Baltimore, during a Jan. 7 Mass at the parish concelebrate by Father Martin Demek, pastor. The recognition is bestowed to clergy, religious and laity for their outstanding service to the archdiocese and their respective parishes or institutions. The medal is imbedded in lucite with the coat of arms of the archdiocese on one side and on the other flames of fire representing the Holy Spirit and the words, “love, service, disciple.”

The care needed to fix a broken heart

Idalia Peraza should not have lived past the age of 20. Over the last 36 years Ms. Peraza, a developmentally disabled woman from Honduras, has been suffering from a common congenital heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot. When Ms. Peraza was born she had a hole in her heart causing her to literally turn blue when the blood crossed through the hole without entering the lungs. For years Ms. Peraza has been suffering with nausea and breathlessness. A few months ago she started having terrible fevers, vomiting and chest pain. Her sister, Mercedes Ruiz whom she lives with, took her to see Midatlantic cardiologist, Dr. Stacy Fisher who diagnosed her heart problem.

Church struggles to judge communist collaborators

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The resignation of a Polish archbishop over spying revelations has highlighted a tension between judgment and forgiveness in the church, one that has taken on new meaning in post-communist Europe. In the broadest sense, it’s a tension found in the teaching of Christ, who preached forgiveness but told his followers to “judge justly” the wrongs of society.

Cumberland parishioners make big dent in poverty

When they learned from a member of the board of education that local school children were returning from summer vacation thinner than when they left, parishioners of Ss. Peter and Paul in Cumberland wanted to do something about it. Working with members of nearby Emmanuel Episcopal Church, they came up with an innovative lunch box program that gets healthy food into the stomachs of hungry children. Five days a week during the summer, volunteers pack about 150 lunches that are left in a cooler at a popular playground where children take the sandwiches, apples and bananas without feeling embarrassed. The unique outreach, now entering its fourth year, is just one component of Ss. Peter and Paul’s St. Anthony Place, a growing service ministry that celebrated its 10th anniversary Jan. 7.

Zambian native takes first vows

Sister Mary Brigid Tembo took her first formation vows Jan. 6 in her journey to become a Sister of Bon Secours. More than 125 people attended the mass of first profession held at the Sisters of Bon Secours Provincial Chapel in Marriottsville. Of Zambian decent, Sister Brigid incorporated several African cultural elements into the Mass, including a symbolic dance she performed herself.

Mercy High freshman wins essay contest

Veronica Jones, a freshman Mercy High School, Baltimore, won first place in the 2007 Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest, sponsored by the YMCA of Central Maryland and the King’s Landing Women’s Service Club.

Bishop Mendez hopes to foster a “great social pact”

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (CNS) — Retired Bishop Fernando Lugo Mendez of San Pedro, Paraguay, who resigned from active ministry to run for president, said he hopes to foster a “great social pact” to achieve national reconciliation in a country with deep divisions. “I believe in collective leadership. … I’m no messiah,” Bishop Lugo, who is leading in opinion polls, told Catholic News Service in a telephone interview in mid-January. “Paraguay has a lot of very qualified people.”

Official decries passage of ‘misguided’ stem-cell bill

WASHINGTON (CNS) – A pro-life official of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops criticized House passage Jan. 11 of a bill that would expand federal funding of stem-cell research that involves the destruction of human embryos, but expressed confidence that an expected presidential veto of the “misguided and unethical legislation” would stand. Richard Doerflinger, deputy director of the bishops’ Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, said in a statement that the 253-174 vote indicated that there were not enough votes to override the veto that President George W. Bush has promised.

U.S. poverty called a major moral, policy challenge

WASHINGTON (CNS) – “Poverty remains our nation’s most serious political blind spot and one of our nation’s most profound moral failings,” says a new policy paper of Catholic Charities USA, “Poverty in America: A Threat to the Common Good.” The policy paper, published in the form of a 28-page booklet released Jan. 10 at a briefing on Capitol Hill, sets the framework for Catholic Charities’ new Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America.

Author looks to increase women’s Catholic fiction

LOS ANGELES (CNS) – The message that women are worth more than their appearance, social status or monetary income is something that Catholic author Cheryl Dickow has tried to get across in her nonfiction books and now hopes also to do through fiction writing. The author of “Reclaiming Your Christian Self in a Secular World: A Woman’s Bible Study” and “Raising Christian Children in a Secular World: Christian Parenting,” has started a new publishing company, Bezalel Books, to address the dearth of women’s Catholic fiction.

SGA officers more than figureheads

When Jessica Butler of Hamilton was elected freshman class president at Towson Catholic High School last November, she didn’t realize how much work was involved. As the 14-year-old freshman thought about her demanding high school studies and sports events, on top of the planning sessions, constituent service time and Student Government Association meetings, she said the workload can seem overwhelming. “Most people don’t appreciate how much time and energy goes into being in student government,” Jessica said. “I know I didn’t beforehand.”

Sweethearts reunite after 50 years