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SYDNEY, Australia – The Cuban government has given the go-ahead to renovations of four Catholic churches in Havana, using funds provided by the Australian office of Aid to the Church in Need.

It is fascinating to hear a recounting of a Catholic’s first visit to Rome.

In our culture, “sex” generally means sexual activity that is associated with the genitals. However, the word “sex” expresses a sense of being “cut off” or “sexed” (as in section or dissect). It alludes to how we long for relationship and connection with others. To reduce sexuality to “having sex” tragically ignores the goodness and gift of sexuality. Sexuality that is truly human is as much an expression of our desire for love as it is of the glands and muscles. Father Ronald Rolheiser, in his excellent book, “The Holy Longing” (Doubleday 1999), describes sexuality as an all-encompassing and powerful “energy for relationships.”

In the March 16 issue of The Baltimore Sun, there was an article by Leonard Pitts Jr. about a new study – the American Religious Identification survey, conducted by researchers at Trinity College of Hartford, Conn. “The poll of more than 54,000 American adults found a sharp erosion in the number of people claiming religious affiliation” stated Pitts.

Songwriter Samuel W. Beazley wrote in his song “The Gospel News”: “Tell the Word of Life to all who may be found wand’ring far from God. … Tell out the Gospel news; preach it, teach it, tell it, that all may know Jesus the savior, who loves them so. Spread abroad the Gospel news.” And that is what Wales R. Tyrrell, a Catholic layman, did by evangelizing to African-Americans on his faith journey with God in Virginia.

In the classic baseball movie “Field of Dreams,” Kevin Costner’s character hears a voice that assures him, “If you build it, they will come.” These words affirmed the baseball-loving character’s leap of faith in digging up the Iowa corn fields that provided his living and replacing it with a baseball field on which past legends would play and that people would flock to see.

NEW ORLEANS – A trumpet blared the hymn “We Have Come Into This House” as about 400 people began singing and marching around the block to officially reopen St. David Church in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans.