Page 1810 – Archdiocese of Baltimore

ROME – Thousands of Vatican documents demonstrate that Pope Pius XII worked quietly but effectively to help Jews and others during World War II, a top Vatican official said. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican secretary of state, said June 5 that the documentation of papal charity is the most convincing response to the “black legend” that has depicted the late pope as indifferent toward the victims of Nazism.

Pope to proclaim year dedicated to St. Paul

VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI plans to proclaim a year dedicated to St. Paul, in preparation for the 2,000th anniversary of the apostle’s birth, the Vatican said. The pope was scheduled to announce the commemorative year at a vespers service June 28 in the Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls in Rome, on the eve of the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.

Nobel peace laureate: Church can do more for environment

VATICAN CITY – The Catholic Church can do more to protect the environment and put pressure on industrialized countries to slash greenhouse gas emissions, said Africa’s first female Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Diversity Day unites St. Gabriel parishioners

St. Gabriel, Woodlawn, was alive with the music and languages of different cultures June 3, as some 700 people celebrated their diverse gifts as a Catholic community. St. Gabriel parishioners are ethnically diverse, representing cultures including Filipino, African, Indian and many more. About six years ago the parish council developed the idea of uniting parishioners one Sunday a year to celebrate their cultural differences and similarities in Christ, explained Monsignor Thomas Phillips, pastor. He said Diversity Day is an opportunity for parishioners to experience a different culture’s dress, food, music and dance.

School’s 50th birthday sets off three-day celebration

More than 30 years ago when Sacred Heart, Glyndon, was a tiny country school, an annual old-fashioned country fair was a common occurrence. The cheerful event returned to school grounds June 2 – equipped with peppermint sticks and lemons – to culminate what principal Anne H. Price said has been a terrific year and to celebrate the school’s 50th birthday. “We wanted to bring back that tradition … recreate that ambience,” said Mrs. Price, Sacred Heart’s principal for a decade. “It was a huge success; an unbelievable experience for our school and the entire local community. I’ve never seen our students having so much fun!”

St. Mary’s Seminary graduates 45 seminarians, lay students

St. Mary’s Seminary and University, Baltimore, celebrated the May 10 graduation of 20 men from the seminary and 35 students from its Ecumenical Institute of Theology. Among the seminary’s 20 degree recipients was Rev. Mr. Daniel Goulet, who studied for the Archdiocese of Baltimore. He will be ordained to the priesthood on June 23.

Detroit Archdiocese: Paroled Kevorkian not a celebrity but a killer

DETROIT – An official of the Detroit Archdiocese denounced the media “hype” surrounding the parole of Jack Kevorkian, saying the assisted suicide proponent was being “treated as a celebrity parolee instead of the convicted murder he is.” Kevorkian, a former pathologist whose medical license was suspended in 1991, left the Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater June 1, accompanied his attorney, Mayer Morganroth, and “60 Minutes” correspondent Mike Wallace.

New book details Hitler plot to kidnap pope, foiled by Nazi general

WASHINGTON – An SS general close to Adolf Hitler foiled a plot to kidnap Pope Pius XII during World War II and to put the Vatican and its treasures under Nazi control, according to a new book. The book, “A Special Mission” by Dan Kurzman, refutes arguments that Pope Pius XII maintained a public silence about Nazi actions during World War II because he was anti-Semitic or because he was sympathetic toward Hitler.

Pope canonizes four new saints, God’s ‘masterpieces’

VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI canonized four new saints from Malta, Poland, the Netherlands and France and said they exemplified the many and varied forms of holiness in the church. “God’s wisdom is manifested in the cosmos, in the variety and beauty of its elements, but his masterpieces are the saints,” the pope said during a rain-soaked liturgy June 3. Some 40,000 pilgrims who huddled under umbrellas applauded as the pope read decrees proclaiming sainthood. Tapestry portraits of the newly canonized hung from the facade of St. Peter’s Basilica, and relics of the saints were carried to the altar, where the pope celebrated Mass beneath a white canopy. The new saints were:

Flourishing baseball program yields a 75 – 0 season

Not too shabby, going 75-0 in one season. That’s the cumulative record of the Calvert Hall College, Towson, baseball program that recently wrapped up their seasons.

After 32 years, Calvert Hall basketball coach steps down

For 32 years, Mark Amatucci has been doing what he loves, coaching basketball. But on May 30, he announced that he was stepping down as head varsity basketball coach at Calvert Hall College, Towson, effective June 1.

St. Augustine students celebrate school’s 150th anniversary