Page 1824 – Archdiocese of Baltimore

Nearly 200,000 people die each year from Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) – a condition in which a blood clot forms inside a deep vein – and surgeons at St. Joseph Medical Center, Towson, are using a procedure that basically vacuums the clot right out of the body. About 30 people were treated at St. Joseph with the new technology known as Angiojet last year and surgeons are thrilled with the results, said Dr. Mark Gonze, chief of vascular surgery at the hospital.

Mercy doctor’s passion for running

Every Thursday morning Doctor Charles Edwards II runs from his home in Ruxton to his office in the Maryland Spine Center at Mercy Medical Center, Baltimore. The route is about nine miles. Dr. Edwards has been running since his days of cross country and track in middle school. When he was just 10 years old he ran a 40-mile course, which was set up by his Boy Scout troop, from York, Pa., to Hunt Valley in one day. By the time he graduated from high school he had done the course seven times and even set the record at one and a half hours.

Mysteries of Light add to beauty of Lourdes shrine

Mosaics depicting the luminous mysteries of the rosary are the newest addition to the outdoor rosary lane at the National Shrine Grotto of Lourdes in Emmitsburg. Bishop W. Francis Malooly, western vicar, blessed and dedicated the mosaics April 29. “The grotto is always such a peaceful and spiritual place to be, and the addition of these mysteries adds another dimension to this already-beautiful place,” he said. The mosaics feature multi-colored images of Christ’s baptism in the Jordan River; Christ’s self-revelation at the marriage of Cana; Christ’s announcement of the kingdom of God; the Transfiguration and the institution of the Eucharist.

Three men to be ordained Jesuit priests

Three men will be ordained Jesuit priests by Cardinal William H. Keeler on June 9. Kurt Denk, Ralph Rivera and Ignatius Sasmita will be ordained at the Alumni Memorial Chapel of Loyola College in Maryland, Baltimore.

Breaking medical myths

Dr. Norman Dy, a program director of the St. Agnes Hospital, Baltimore, Internal Medicine Residency who has his own private practice, uncovered the truth about medical myths in a recent interview.

Pope’s photographers snap coolly, with class

VATICAN CITY – They are not pushy or pesky; rather, the pope’s own paparazzi are the epitome of discretion and class. Vatican photographers stand out from other media shutterbugs, not just because they’re always dressed in ironed dark suits and ties, but because, coolly clicking away, they are the ones standing right next to the pope. The papal photographers are also the only ones allowed to shadow the pontiff almost everywhere he goes, even during more private moments – be they special audiences inside the Vatican with heads of state or an intimate luncheon with cardinals or bishops.

Muslim diplomats to attend course on Vatican diplomacy

VATICAN CITY – A group of diplomats from predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe will meet with top Vatican officials during an intensive three-week course on the Catholic Church. The aim of the May 7-27 course is to help Muslim governments understand how the Vatican works, especially in diplomacy, and to familiarize participants with the church and its network of social and humanitarian services.

Rectory serves as home for men considering priesthood

HOPELAWN, N.J. – When young men are discerning the vocation of priesthood, it is important that they have a quiet place for prayer and reflection while learning about the life that would come with being a priest. Through the work and support of many individuals, the Metuchen Diocese has created such a setting for those seeking to decipher God’s call. In a building that was once an oversized and underutilized rectory for Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish now stands the St. John Vianney House of Discernment. The house is a place for men considering the priesthood who are serious about the vocation, yet not entirely certain that they are ready to pursue it.

Sulpician guided St. Mary’s through exciting, turbulent times

By his own admission, Father Robert F. Leavitt, S.S., was an unusual choice to lead St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Roland Park. When the Connecticut native was named the 14th president and first president-rector in 1980, he was only 37. He didn’t have any administrative experience and had only recently become a member of the Sulpicians – the order of teaching priests who have run America’s first Catholic seminary since its founding in 1791. Father Leavitt’s mother and friends advised against taking the post at his alma mater, fearing the intellectual young man was better suited for the classroom than the boardroom. What made it all the more challenging was that many believed the seminary had reached a nadir in its proud history. Awash in red ink and suffering from declining enrollment, St. Mary’s seemed without direction. Six different leaders within the previous 17 years had found few successes in stabilizing the venerable institution.

Bishops study draft of guide for high school religion curriculum

WASHINGTON – The U.S. bishops are studying a draft curriculum guide for Catholic high school religion courses across the country. Prepared by the Committee on Catechesis of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the draft sets the framework for six core semesters plus five elective courses from which schools may choose two – preferably in the senior year or one each in the junior and senior years. The curriculum framework, developed at the request of publishers of catechetical materials, is intended as a guide for those publishers and for diocesan offices and Catholic high schools to help them develop their own curriculum guidelines and evaluate religion textbooks for use in their schools.

Eugene Mr. Fisher honored for Catholic-Jewish work

WASHINGTON – The Anti-Defamation League and a variety of Catholic and Jewish leaders honored Eugene J. Fisher as he approached retirement after 30 years as one of the world’s leading advocates of better Catholic-Jewish relations. Since 1977 Mr. Fisher has been associate director for Catholic-Jewish relations at the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. In awarding him the ADL’s Dr. Joseph L. Lichten Award in Catholic-Jewish relations April 29, ADL National Director Abraham H. Foxman called Mr. Fisher a “central figure” in implementing changed Catholic understandings of and relations with Jews following the Second Vatican Council. “Gene was an important part of Pope John Paul II’s program to revolutionize Catholic-Jewish relations,” Mr. Foxman said.

French church official welcomes court ruling