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Mercy High School in Baltimore is establishing its first-ever endowment and has already raised $1 million during a “quiet phase” of a capital campaign supporting the fund. School leaders formally launched the “Securing the Future” campaign May 3, bumping up the initial target goal of $1 million to $1.5 million. Mary John Snyder, a member of the school’s board of trustees and chair of the endowment campaign, said it was a “very nice surprise” that the school has already secured $1 million. “Everyone is very, very excited,” said Ms. Snyder, a member of Mercy’s class of 1965. “This is all about securing the future for Mercy.”

Coins still rest on Conner Greig’s grave stone engraved with a baby angel at St. Ignatius, Hickory. Toddler Blaine, age 3 at the time of his brother’s death, placed the money there a dozen years ago so Conner would be able to call home. Now age 15, The John Carroll School, Bel Air, 10th-grader continues to visit his sibling’s grave with parents Susan Larney Greig and Blaine Greig, and 18-year-old-sister Allie. Conner now would have been 13; he died in 1995 at age 2 with a brain tumor.

SAO PAULO, Brazil – A rancher on trial for ordering the February 2005 assassination of U.S. Sister Dorothy Stang claimed he is innocent of paying $25,000, along with another rancher, for her murder. Vitalmiro Bastos de Moura, known in the Amazon region as Bida, said in court May 14 he did not know Sister Dorothy, a member of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, and only had contact with her two assassins after she was dead. Mr. De Moura said the two men found guilty of killing the nun came to him after the crime and confessed the assassination.

William Joseph Kelly Jr. didn’t decide to sign up for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) at age 21 – Uncle Sam decided for him. During the World War II era, enlistment in the military was mandatory. “If you were physically fit, you went,” said Mr. Kelly, inducted July 15, 1941, at Fort Meade (From 1926 to 1941, USAAC was the predecessor of the U.S. Army Air Forces, today’s U.S. Air Force.) Four days later, the young man transferred as a Private to Luke Field, Ariz. and was assigned to the 74th Air Base Group.

Official Statement from the Archdiocese On April 25, representatives of the Archdiocese of Baltimore received an allegation of child sexual abuse against Mr. Patrick McIntyre, a seventh grade teacher at Immaculate Conception School, Towson. The alleged abuse took place in the late 1970s and involved a male middle school student attending Bishop John Neumann School in Baltimore, where Mr. McIntyre taught. The allegation was immediately reported to the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office and Department of Social Services which indicated to the Archdiocese on April 27 that no charges were expected to be filed due to the age and nature of the allegation. On April 27 County officials granted representatives of the Archdiocese permission to contact Mr. McIntyre regarding the allegation.

BRUSSELS, Belgium – An archbishop from the Democratic Republic of Congo and a longtime social justice activist from the United States have been elected co-presidents of Pax Christi International, the Catholic peace movement. Archbishop Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of Kisangani, Congo, and Marie Dennis, director of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, will assume their new posts for a three-year term during the triennial world assembly of Pax Christi International, set for Oct. 30-Nov. 4 in Torhout and Brugge, Belgium.

The Knott Scholarship Funds recently announced the winners of its 2007 scholarship competition. These elementary and secondary scholarships have an estimated four-year tuition value of more than $1,186,000 and are funded by the Marion Burk Knott Scholarships and the Marion I. and Henry J. Knott Scholarships.

All are welcome to join the wine and cheese event at Mercy Ridge on May 16 at 3 p.m. featuring Dr. Brian Kahn, cardiologist with Overlea Personal Physicians. During this free program Dr. Kahn will discuss “What everyone needs to know about what’s new in heart disease prevention and treatment.”

A funeral Mass was offered May 3 for Sister Margaret R. Timmerman, M.H.S.H. at The Villa in Baltimore. Sister Margaret died April 30. She was 92. Father Thomas Francis, O.C.S.O., Sister Margaret’s brother, offered the funeral liturgy.

On May 5, Cardinal William H. Keeler will dedicate a Ten Commandments monument at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Baltimore. The 5-foot-tall, 850-pound-marble monument was placed at the east Baltimore church as a reminder to respect and appreciate what the Ten Commandments stand for and the values each person should strive to embody.