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WASHINGTON – Jesuit Father Walter Burghardt, long regarded as one of U.S. Catholicism’s top theologians and preachers, died Feb. 16 at the Jesuits’ infirmary on the campus of St Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. He was 93 years old.

ANNAPOLIS – Catholics flexed their political muscles in a big way Feb. 18 when about 600 parishioners from across the state converged on the capitol to lobby their lawmakers on key issues related to the sanctity of life, education and social concerns.

It was during the Great Depression when Virginia said “hi” to Sebastian LaRossa at a dance. She left to say hello to the bandleader, and when she walked back, Sebastian said to her, “You know I’m going to marry you.”

What started out as a one-time mission to rid Baltimore’s streets of firepower has become an enduring crusade for city parish St. Gregory the Great. Armed with grant money from a Baltimore attorney, the church has shelled out cash to citizens who’ve turned in guns, totaling more than 50 weapons in the past nine months. Officials hope to collect more when the parish holds its sixth gun buy-back 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 8.

NEW YORK – Ongoing debate about climate change “has helped put into focus the inescapable responsibility of one and all to care for the environment,” the Vatican’s U.N. nuncio told the U.N. General Assembly Feb. 13.

DEKALB, Ill. – As helicopters hovered noisily over the parking lot at Christ the Teacher Parish on the campus of Northern Illinois University, students, staff and parishioners gathered in the church to pray the rosary for victims of the Feb. 14 shooting on their campus.

VATICAN CITY – Americans will soon have their first close-up encounter with Pope Benedict XVI, a figure who, in the minds of many, is still coming into focus. Some view him as a vigilant pastor, one who has used virtually every medium possible – books and speeches, sermons and encyclicals – to guide Catholics back to the essential message of Jesus and the Gospel.