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When an elderly parishioner of St. Joseph in Sykesville needed to have a pane of glass and window frame replaced in her home, the company she called for help pressured her to buy all-new windows to the tune of several thousand dollars. Rather than purchase windows she didn’t need, the woman looked for help through the newly launched Hammer Ministry at her parish.

Need an interesting speaker? The Ecumenical Institute of Theology at St. Mary’s Seminary and University offers a roster of faculty members who speak to local church and community groups.

The Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg will observe All Saints’ Day with a celebration Nov. 1. A noon Mass will be held in the basilica, followed by a eucharistic procession from the basilica to White House chapel, the restored house where St. Elizabeth Ann Seton lived and worked from 1810 until her death in 1821.

VATICAN CITY – Involvement in politics is a role reserved to laypeople, but Catholic Church leaders must explain and promote the moral principles that will contribute to the common good, Pope Benedict XVI said.

UNITED NATIONS – If Pope Paul VI reappeared on earth to assess progress toward meeting the challenges he addressed in his 1967 social encyclical, “Populorum Progressio,” he would say: “You’ve done a lot, but you haven’t even started – and you’ve lost a lot of enthusiasm.”

WASHINGTON – In contrast to the 2000 and 2004 presidential election cycles, when some saw Republican candidates as too cozy with religious leaders and too willing to bring their faith into the public sphere, this year’s GOP candidates for president have been relatively quiet on the topic of religion.