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Vocations come in many forms.

In a culture when freedom is supreme, the notion of obligation is repugnant to many, especially when it comes to “freedom of religion.” Nevertheless, obligations surround us: paying bills, faithfulness to spouse, keeping promises are all obligations which we readily recognize.

If I’ve failed to stress the significance of the challenge before us through my words, perhaps the frequency of my writing on the subject (three consecutive columns and counting) will succeed in doing so!

Meeting the spiritual needs of the Catholic people of the Archdiocese of Baltimore in the face of an aging and dwindling presbyterate was the challenge I laid before you in last week’s column.

My dear people of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Last week, our priests gathered over three days to pray and to discuss issues of common concern facing the presbyterate, our parishes and the Church in Baltimore.

Many are aware of my desire for full Eucharistic devotion in our parishes, a desire that received new impetus as a result of a recent conversation with a good friend.

Earlier this month, the Holy Father concluded the “Year for Priests” with the celebration of a series of events held in Rome in the presence of some 15,000 priests from 97 countries.

For the past 13 years the National Black Catholic Apostolate for Life has designated June as a time for black Catholics to actively raise consciousness regarding abortion and acts of violence within our community. We all know stories such as this one that cuts into our hearts, making it throb with pain and warranting prayer. …

In his story which appeared in the May 9 edition of The Baltimore Sun, reporter Matthew Hay Brown chronicles Maryland’s up and down road to religious freedom by taking readers on a tour of Southern Maryland’s “Religious Freedom Byway.” The journey includes visits to places like Port Tobacco, St. Mary’s City and St. Clement’s Island, where settlers to the new land first arrived in 1634 and where Jesuit Father Andrew White celebrated the first Mass.

For the past month, our Archdiocese has joined other institutions and organizations committed to the safety and well-being of children in recognizing April as Child Abuse Prevention Month. While our child protection efforts are our focus throughout the year, it does present an opportunity to reflect on what our Church – primarily through the diligence of those working and volunteering in our parishes and schools – is doing every day to protect the children entrusted to our care from the scourge of sexual abuse.