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What’s the perfect prayer for Advent? Ironically, it’s right under our noses. Most of us would concede that the greatest prayer is the Our Father, the Lord’s Prayer, the one Jesus personally taught us. Curiously, the perfect Advent prayer is the one we say at Mass right after the Our Father.

The coming of the Mill Hill Fathers to Baltimore was a landmark in the administration of Archbishop Martin Spalding. This group of priests was founded outside London by Cardinal Herbert Vaughan for the purpose of missionary work. On arriving in Baltimore, the black parish community of St. Francis Xavier was transferred from the care of the Jesuits to the Mill Hill Fathers. Later in 1883, the second black parish, St. Monica (in the area where Camden Yards now stands) was established in South Baltimore. During this time, the number of black Catholics had increased and had populated all areas of the city. In the meantime, the Mill Hill Fathers had established a seminary on Pennsylvania Avenue for the training of priests to serve the black community. During this period, an American superior was elected: Father John Slattery. The new superior saw the need of a parish where the future priests could be trained. As a result, on Sept. 9, 1888, the parish of St. Peter Claver was established at the intersection of Fremont and Pennsylvania Avenue. Now the west-side black Catholics had their own church. One year later, 1899, the pastor, Father Lambert Welbers, established St. Peter Claver School with an integrated staff of two lay teachers. The school is still in existence and is now called Father Charles A. Hall Lower School. The following year, Father John Slattery was instrumental in getting the Glen Riddle Franciscan Sisters to conduct the school. The sisters served the black community for 103 years. Congratulations, sisters!

Question: My parents are in their 80s. They have been retired for 10 years. They have experienced their share of health problems, which have created some financial difficulties. Fortunately, we have a big family and we have been able to give them the financial support they need. My husband and I want to try to plan well for our retirement to avoid having to turn to our adult children when we grow older. Do you have information regarding planning for retirement?

Educating our young people is crucial because they will be the movers and shakers in the coming generation. We should also be proud of the parochial elementary school system which has a proven record in preparing children for higher education and achievement in all walks of life. The Maryland Teachers Association has petitioned for years that they need more funds for the public education system and fewer children in the classroom to achieve a degree of excellence. I believe that school vouchers is a proven and successful solution to their request which in turn will re-energize the parochial elementary school system.

I was extremely disappointed to read the angry letters from writers who are very upset by the election of Barack Obama. The majority of U.S. Catholics did not vote for Mr. Obama because he is “pro abortion.” I believe that I voted for a very moral man.

To make a long story short: a priest of 11 years, I returned to my native Archdiocese of New York in 1976 with a doctorate in moral theology, all the while expecting I would be assigned to the faculty of our Archdiocesan Seminary of St. Joseph, Dunwoodie, in Yonkers. Such was not to be.