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Essie Allen recognized the poignancy of Cardinal William H. Keeler’s homily for a Sept. 5 Mass at St. Wenceslaus celebrating the feast of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta. With the knowledge that the cardinal urged the Missionaries of Charity to open an AIDS hospice in the St. Wenceslaus convent in 1992 and welcomed Mother Teresa during her Baltimore visit that year, the East Baltimore parishioner said it was a fitting tribute that Cardinal Keeler would celebrate the Mass on the 10th anniversary of Mother Teresa’s death. “It was very touching to see him up there,” she said. “His connection to Mother Teresa is so strong.”

CALCUTTA, India – It was still dark, almost an hour before sunrise Sept. 5, but the freshly decorated white marble tomb of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta gleamed as the feast day of the nun began. Activities began early in the morning with the arrival of more than 150 women, men and children from slum areas where Mother Teresa had begun her mission among the poorest of the poor. They moved, each with a lighted candle, praying the rosary in the local Bengali language and singing Bengali and Hindi songs praising God and Mother Teresa, reported the Asian church news agency UCA News. Some played percussion instruments, some swayed to the music, while others clapped as they walked past the tomb that sits inside the headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity congregation where the Nobel Peace Prize laureate once lived.

VATICAN CITY – The world’s wealth and resources do not belong to a select few, they also belong to the poor, Pope Benedict XVI said as he urged people to aid the needy and protect the environment. “Christ is present even in the poor so they must never be insulted,” abused or deemed worthless, the pope said, citing the teachings of St. Gregory of Nyssa at his Sept. 5 weekly general audience. Christ has made himself present in the poor so that even the “hard-hearted” may be moved to compassion and lend them a hand, he said on Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s feast day and the 10th anniversary of her death.

SEOUL, South Korea – As 19 South Korean hostages returned safely to their country, Catholic and Protestant church leaders said it was time to reflect on overseas missions and service. “I welcome the release of all hostages and thank all who made great effort(s) to save their lives in and outside Korea. But I cannot restrain my grief toward the two men killed there,” said the Rev. Kwon Oh-sung, secretary of the National Council of Churches in Korea. He spoke to UCA News, an Asian church news agency.

LORETO, Italy – Pope Benedict XVI urged a megagathering of Italian young people to embrace Christ and “go against the current” of a culture marked by violence, arrogance and selfishness. The pope also struck a strong ecological theme, saying young people need to press for courageous changes to save the planet “before it’s too late.” An estimated 500,000 youths applauded the pope’s words at a prayer vigil Sept. 1 and at a Mass the following day, on a hillside next to the Marian shrine of Loreto. The weekend assembly also featured music and skits, but the highlight was clearly the pope’s presence.

JERUSALEM – The United States has a responsibility to play a vital role in restarting Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, said the chairman of the U.S. bishops’ international policy committee. “We have a certain responsibility. By not being engaged at this level it will certainly involve us in ways we do not want to be involved in (later),” said Bishop Thomas G. Wenski of Orlando, Fla. “There needs to be a negotiated solution. “The status quo is not tenable,” he said. “The two partners are not on equal strength … and the USA has to prevail on Israel to negotiate in good faith and not take advantage of the Palestinian weakness.”

BOISE, Idaho – Bishop Michael P. Driscoll of Boise urged Idahoans to pray and support Sen. Larry Craig and his family Sept. 1, hours after the senator announced that he was resigning his post. “Seeing his family and friends behind him, I could not help but feel compassion for this man who has served the state well for 27 years in Congress and six years in the state Legislature. This must have been the most difficult decision of his professional career and I can’t imagine the impact it must have on his family,” said Bishop Driscoll.

Monsignor Paul A. Lenz has been advanced to the rank of “prothonotary apostolic” by Pope Benedict XVI.

NEW ORLEANS – With an intense thunderstorm providing eerie sound effects, Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes of New Orleans told hundreds gathered at St. Louis Cathedral Aug. 29 in commemoration of the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina to persevere in their faith despite the pitfalls of a painfully slow recovery.

APPLETON, Wis. – A Catholic schoolteacher who claimed she was illegally fired in 2004 for undergoing in vitro fertilization treatments dropped her discrimination suit Aug. 27 following a settlement in which the terms were not disclosed.

Pastoral musicians have toiled, unsung and alone, without the camaraderie found in workshops and archdiocesan groups.

PITTSBURGH – At age 95, Joseph Martinelli is a regular at daily Mass at St. Colman Parish in Turtle Creek. In the parish bulletin he’s listed as pastoral assistant, just hinting at the many roles he fills.