Page 1855 – Archdiocese of Baltimore

When Karolina Pioro was chosen as a foreign exchange student to the United States, the 17-year-old Polish teen thought for sure she would be living in a metropolis with bustling streets and tall buildings. After arriving in the tiny Western Maryland community of Grantsville in late August, she was surprised to discover a wholly different slice of America.

St. John pair named longest married couple

When Stephanie “Stevie” Richards told her new husband to wash the dishes, he responded that it was not a man’s job. “In this house it is,” retorted the bride. The young girl’s stance may have been somewhat brazen for the year 1933, but Mrs. Richards knew she had married a pampered young man spoiled by five sisters and a doting mother.

Course for inmates helps changes lives

PITTSBURGH – Inmates at the Allegheny County Jail in downtown Pittsburgh who get accepted into a program to help them straighten out their lives know “they’ve got to put some work into it,” said the chaplain who heads the program. “It’s very much about self-discipline. They have to get up, make their beds, keep their shirts tucked in, they cannot swear. The rules are pretty stringent,” said the Rev. Lynn Yeso. The United Methodist pastor is head chaplain at the jail. For two years she has been director of Potential HOPE, which stands for Helping Open People’s Eyes.

Apprentice inspires teens

FORT WORTH, Texas – Tarek Saab became an instant celebrity after appearing on NBC’s “The Apprentice,” one of the most highly rated and critiqued shows on network television. He spent 10 weeks on the reality show last year before hearing the words “you’re fired” from the program’s executive producer and host, Donald Trump. While the 27-year-old lost a chance to work for the high-profile financier, he gained valuable insight into the power of fame and its impact on society.

Catholic composers to perform with Loyola Chapel Choir

The Loyola College Chapel Choir will sing and play in a concert featuring Catholic songwriters and performers David Haas, Lori True and Paul Tate on Feb. 23. The three composers are well-known in Catholic music, each having been published in major hymnals in the United States, said George Miller, the associate director of campus ministry and choir director at Loyola College in Maryland, Baltimore.

Group’s mission: Fill churches with more men

Having noticed that men have become a vast minority in Northeast Baltimore Catholic parishes, St. Anthony of Padua parishioner Paul Gerhardt and a group of his friends decided to unite with a mission to lure members of his gender back to church. So was born the Northeast Catholic Brotherhood a little more than a year ago, and with about 25 men from three area faith communities participating, the group has ignited a movement that inspires religious and community involvement. “We’re a pretty informal group, but we’re serious about getting men back in the church and contributing to the community at large,” said Mr. Gerhardt, 50, of Gardenville. “I’m really enthused by what we’ve accomplished in the last year and I think our outreach efforts are only going to grow.”

Strong identity, less commitment in young Catholics

WASHINGTON – Young adult Catholics have a strong Catholic identity but do not feel much of a commitment to the institutional church or its moral teachings, two sociologists said Feb. 6 in Washington. The seemingly paradoxical assessment came from James A. Davidson of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., and Dean R. Hoge of The Catholic University of America in Washington at a Woodstock Forum on the campus of Georgetown University.

Pope says lay movements can help bishops

VATICAN CITY – A bishop can turn to Catholic lay movements not only when he needs an organized group to implement his pastoral plans, but also when he needs to care for his own soul, Pope Benedict XVI said. When a movement gathers its “bishop-friends” together, it helps them experience “a more intense communion of hearts, a stronger mutual support and a greater shared commitment to showing that the church is a place of prayer and charity, a house of mercy and peace,” the pope said. Pope Benedict spoke Feb. 8 at a joint audience for 80 bishops participating in a conference sponsored by the Focolare movement and 110 bishops attending a meeting organized by the Community of Sant’Egidio.

Holy Land conflict: bringing the issue home

As Catholic Relief Services’ former director for the Middle East, Christine H. Tucker saw firsthand the conflict-ridden borders of Palestine and Israel. This February, the St. Louis, Clarksville, parishioner is bringing the issue home, via Howard County television. Ms. Tucker, who serves as the Mid-Atlantic regional director for CRS, shares her knowledge of the escalating fall out during a 30-minute program on Comcast Cable Channel 73 in Howard County called “Building Peace for Israelis and Palestinians,” airing throughout February, 11 a.m., 3 and 7 p.m., on Mondays and Fridays.

Campus religious leaders adapt to American culture

Loyola College in Maryland senior Matt Greer was relieved when he learned the school scheduled a special 4 p.m. Mass on Super Bowl Sunday because he would probably have had to skip his weekly spiritual ritual to watch the big game with his buddies. “I usually attend the 9 p.m. Mass,” said the 21-year-old student from Westchester, N.Y. “That would have been in the middle of the Super Bowl. I don’t like to skip Mass, but I really didn’t want to miss the Super Bowl.” By moving its regularly scheduled 6 p.m. Mass to 4 p.m. on Super Bowl Sunday, the Baltimore campus chapel was filled with more than 200 church-goers, most appearing to be under the age of 23. The accommodation is one of many tactics college officials are using to encourage more students to attend Mass.

Excessive drinking harms liver

When Debbie Collins’ wedding ceremony at Sacred Heart of Mary, Graceland Park, concludes June 23, the 26-year-old Dundalk resident plans to toast her nuptials with a sip of champagne. Though she knows that excessive alcohol consumption can be harmful to the liver, the soon-to-be bride isn’t concerned about the effects of the mouthful of sparkling wine and the one Amaretto & Sprite she plans to drink at her wedding reception.

Electronic giving makes donating to church easy