Page 1802 – Archdiocese of Baltimore

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Human trafficking and prostitution are common in Rhode Island, and of growing concern to law enforcement officials and legislators, according to several who spoke about the situation with the Rhode Island Catholic, newspaper of the Providence Diocese.

Armed men kidnap eight Christians in northern Iraq

ROME – Armed men kidnapped eight Christians on their way home from university exams in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

Article on Bush, pope’s meeting disappointing

I was very disappointed to read the cover article (CR, June 14) and read only one sentence, near the end of the article, that mentions a critical idea about President Bush (the Vatican’s opposition to the war in Iraq).

Faith lift keeps Lonaconing sisters attending weekly Mass

LONACONING – St. Mary of the Annunciation in Lonaconing just wouldn’t be the same without Mary and Catherine Meyers. The two sisters have been lifelong parishioners of this tiny faith community in Western Maryland – amassing a combined 181 years at the parish. Now that the Myers sisters live at an assisted living facility in nearby Frostburg, they rely on Sid and Wanda Hanna, fellow parishioners, to bring them to the 6 p.m. Mass every Saturday.

Sister Mary Rose Simms, R.S.M.

A funeral Mass was offered June 22 at The Villa in Baltimore for Sister Mary Rose Simms, R.S.M. Sister Mary Rose died June 19 of complications of pneumonia. She was 93.

Closed St. Alphonsus School to be transformed into condos

When Alex Radzius walked out of St. Alphonsus, Baltimore, after Mass on a recent Sunday morning, he noticed the building across Saratoga Street where he attended school in the 1950s is primed to become up-scale condos for future city dwellers. “I see it as a good thing,” the St. Alphonsus parishioner said. “It’s going to bring more people into the city and it can only improve the area.”

Carolina fire chaplain mourns loss of nine firefighters

CHARLESTON, S.C. – As chaplain of the South Carolina Firefighters’ Association for the past 23 years, Monsignor Joseph R. Roth has made a habit of writing to the families of each of the 80 or 90 members who die each year. But he never expected to have to write to nine families at once, as he will now do after a fire in a Charleston furniture warehouse claimed the lives of nine firefighters in the early morning hours of June 19. The fire began around 7 p.m. June 18. Monsignor Roth, vicar general for the Diocese of Charleston, spoke briefly with The Catholic Miscellany, Charleston diocesan newspaper, by telephone June 19.

Vatican issues ‘Ten Commandments’ for drivers

VATICAN CITY – The Vatican has issued a set of “Ten Commandments” for drivers, saying motor vehicles can be an “occasion of sin.” A document titled “Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road” said driving can unleash road rage and other immoral behavior, including excess speed, reckless passing, cursing and just plain rudeness.

Papal preacher won’t lecture in Medjugorje after bishop nixes plan

MOSTAR, Bosnia-Herzegovina – The preacher of the papal household has withdrawn from plans to deliver a series of lectures in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, after the local bishop denied him permission to speak there. Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, who has been the pope’s preacher since 1980, was to be the keynote speaker at the 12th International Seminar for Priests July 3-5 in Medjugorje, the site of thousands of alleged appearances of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Cardinal Keeler undergoes surgery

Shortly after undergoing brain surgery at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, June 18, Cardinal William H. Keeler was cracking jokes with a family member, a sign the procedure went well, officials from the Archdiocese of Baltimore said. Deacon Rod Mortel, director of the Office of the Propagation of the Faith for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, visited the cardinal in his hospital room June 19. “I was surprised to see him in such good shape just 24 hours after having surgery. He is doing very well,” said Deacon Mortel, a retired physician. “He was alert and in good spirits. He even got up and walked around, with a little help, of course.”

Gaza priest says nuns’ compound was ransacked, looted

JERUSALEM – The Gaza compound of the Rosary Sisters was ransacked and looted and sacred objects were destroyed during Palestinian infighting that led to the Hamas faction’s takeover of the Gaza Strip. Monsignor Manuel Musallam, pastor of Holy Family Parish in Gaza, said gunmen used rocket-propelled grenades to break down the doors of the compound, which is located some distance from the Holy Family Parish compound in the Tenalhawa section of Gaza. He estimated damages at more than $500,000. “This is more than vandalism,” he said. “They forced open the door and entered and destroyed everything. The even put the sisters’ beds on fire.”

Anti-racism training for Catholic leaders called historic step