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LONDON – About 50 Catholics sang hymns and chanted prayers outside Westminster Cathedral to protest the premiere of a concert they believed glorified Allah. The protesters were angry that the London cathedral – considered to be the mother church of the 4.3 million Catholics of England and Wales – was being used to honor the Islamic notion of God. The group was objecting to the performance of “The Beautiful Names,” a concert featuring the singing of the 99 names of Allah to solemn music composed by Sir John Tavener and commissioned by his friend, Prince Charles. With Prince Charles among the guests, security outside the cathedral was unusually tight June 19, with a large police presence and airport-style scanning machines.

Since 1979, adults with special needs have been coming to Camp Glow to reunite with old friends, make new ones and grow in the light of the Lord. The camp at the Monsignor O’Dwyer Retreat House in Sparks was originally started by Sister Justa Walton, I.H.M., and in 2001, William Fleming, coordinator of Catechesis for Persons with Developmental Disabilities for the archdiocese, took over the camp. “This is a chance for them to get together with folks, bond and share their gifts with others,” said Mr. Fleming. “One lady had her bags packed for weeks.”

After three consecutive years of top honors at the Dundalk Heritage Independence Day Parade, students and parents from Our Lady of Hope-St. Luke School, Dundalk, are hoping once again to float away with a first-place finish. Parent Vince Conway has been working on this year’s float, which will be festooned in red, white and blue, as wife Cindy serves on the school’s committee with half a dozen other parents who would like to roll away with first place in the parade’s religious floats category. “The kids are so full of energy and are so excited about it,” said Mrs. Conway. “Until I started doing this I never realized how many people are watching this parade!”

WASHINGTON – President George W. Bush June 20 vetoed a bill to expand federal funding for medical research on human embryonic stem cells, saying it “would compel American taxpayers, for the first time in our history, to support the deliberate destruction of human embryos.” Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, praised the veto. “This bill would not actually enhance stem-cell research, but divert federal funds from legitimate research toward avenues requiring the destruction of innocent human life,” he said. “The cause of science is not enhanced but diminished when it loses its moral compass.” In conjunction with the veto, Bush issued an executive order calling on federal agencies to strengthen the nation’s commitment to research on pluripotent stem cells.

LONACONING – St. Mary of the Annunciation in Lonaconing just wouldn’t be the same without Mary and Catherine Meyers. The two sisters have been lifelong parishioners of this tiny faith community in Western Maryland – amassing a combined 181 years at the parish. Now that the Myers sisters live at an assisted living facility in nearby Frostburg, they rely on Sid and Wanda Hanna, fellow parishioners, to bring them to the 6 p.m. Mass every Saturday.